16 Ain't So Sweet, Either
by Route 23
Summary: Shelley Peterman was so excited to turn 16 years old, but when she did, she wished she hadn't. It's my first story. R&R! CHAPTER 15 NOW UP! Shelley/Brad, bit of Brenda/Joey. Rated T for language only.
1. RRRROLL CALL!

This is my first Fan Fic I'm posting. Please R&R, only constructive critism, no flames. Thanks =D

* * *

Chapter 1

Opening my eyes in the morning after a long 7 hour beauty sleep was the best feeling in the world for me. This was because I just couldn't wait to go out and start a brand new day. It didn't matter how similar each day seemed to be for me. I love every minute of it.

I love waking up to the beat of my heart. I love skipping my way to school every morning just to see all of my amazing friends. I love dancing on my favourite television station. I love this new 11:30 curfew I was granted for my 16th birthday yesterday!

I sat right up and jumped out of bed like I did every morning. I hurried over to my closet, picking out a poufy dress which was yellow covering my torso, and had a white skirt, which had only thin straps to support it.

After changing into that, I sat down in front of my mirror. I combed through my short red hair, and brought the top layer into curls, laying it on top of my head. That's when I picked up my Ultra Clutch hairspray and continued spraying my hair until my finger was cramping.

I ran down the stairs and opened the fridge. "Dad, where're the leftovers?" I called into the living room.

"There are a couple frozen muffins from last night in the freezer!" he shouted back.

My dad entered the kitchen. "Good morning, dear."

"Morning, dad," I responded, looking through the freezer.

"Can you please go out and get me the paper? I'll heat up a muffin for you."

"Alright, thanks, dad!" I rushed outside and saw the newspaper on the top step. I bent down and read, 'THE SUN'. Underneath I saw, 'Baltimore, May 3, 1962'. I picked it up and brought it inside.

"Thanks honey," my dad said, handing me a warm chocolate chip muffin. "Remember: eleven-thirty. And no later than that, alright sweetheart?"

"Yeah, dad." I picked up my school bag, and looked into the mirror next to the front door. I fixed my hair and thanked God that I am Shelley Peterman.

I passed by the school bus to meet up with my best friends, Brad and Brenda Bennett. We walked off to school together. Brad Bennett is a loser, who is totally cute, but really stupid. He actually plays a huge part in my life being my dance partner, my best friend's twin brother, and my other best friend. He has light brown hair, blue eyes and he's the shortest boy on the show at 5'7". He is part of the group that Bix is in, acting totally hot. You know, like those guys that skip class to go to the washroom just to comb their hair back. Brad, however, out of his friends, is definitely…the sluttiest. He holds about five girls' virginity, and then some. Despite wasting so much of his life as a right hand man, Brad actually had a lot of less self centered friends like my friends and I. Not only that, but he's such a sweetie. He always stands up for me, and resents the people who hurt me in any way. Surprisingly, this ladies' man is currently taking an interest in one of the girls on the show, and some day hopes to start up a fairly serious relationship with her. Brad may be terrible with school, and he may…stuff his pants, but he's one hell of a friend, and is the best male dancer on the show.

Brenda is the other Bennett, though looking nothing like her brother. Bren is taller, with dark hair and thin green eyes. But she's almost as skanky, despite her extremely serious relationship with her boyfriend of 3 years, Joey. She's been my best friend since we were two years old because our fathers are co-workers, and through them, our mothers became very good friends. Brenda will flirt with _any_ guy to get away from her fairy tale reality. It's actually quite funny, because she jokingly yells at Joey for flirting with other girls when she does it all the time. She's one of those girls who would go to a slumber party with her friends, and stop someone midsentence just so she could discuss looking at _other_ boys, and how cute her brother's friends are. She lives for the Corny Collins Show, dancing with Fender. If she ever lost her privilege to dance on the show, she'd basically disintegrate into dust, which would later melt into an ashy puddle, only left for tiny school to jump in and splash around.

After a while of walking, Brad sped up to hurry in front of us. Brenda and I were left alone to talk like girls.

"So, I guess we're starting 'The Stricken Chicken' today then," I figured. "Y'know, because I'm pretty sure that we're finished with that jitter bug that Mrs. Von Tussle choreographed for us." I took a bite out of my muffin and stopped Brenda in her tracks. "What's wrong, Brenda? You're so quiet!"

"I need to tell you something about me and Joey," Brenda muttered. "Last week, he, uh…spent the night…"

"Brenda!" I shouted. "You did NOT!" I knew Brenda was a slut, but not THAT much…

"Shush! Keep quiet! That's not all… It kinda had…results."

I stared at my friend in awe. Did she mean she was…? No… Brenda? A mother? That's not going to happen. "Brenda! You are NOT!"

Bren's eyes started filling with tears. "Shelley, I need someone."

"I'm here," I assured. "Always." I gave my friend a tight hug, and then took another bite of my muffin.

"Hey, Shelley!" Somebody called. Looking up, I saw that it was Amber Von Tussle. She snatched the muffin out of my hand. "What are you doing with this?"

"I'm eating!" I said, sounding muffled through the muffin I was chewing. I reached to grab it back out of her hand, but she moved her hand out of my reach.

"No, you're not anymore. This will go straight down to your already-big-enough ass, and you'll take up the whole screen!"

"At least _she_ eats, Amber!" Brenda said.

"I eat, too," Amber said, offensively.

I cleared my throat. "She means with_out_ throwing it up after."

Amber's jaw dropped, and she strutted away from us. She took a bite of the muffin. Brenda and I laughed, and high fived. Amber Von Tussle was mega bitch of our school. She's filthy rich. I get chills driving past her house-mansion. I never know what to call it. Of course she's petit, blonde and absolutely gorgeous. She's one of those catty girls whose moms do all the dirty work for them, whose boyfriend is their only friend, and who does nothing but sit at home staring at ceramic ducks, petting their fat ass, long haired, hissing cat who's named after the color of their fur. I guess I have some sympathy for her, because her father passed away when she was 6 years old. Amber always has two birthday parties a year. One on her actual birthday, which is July 26, and another around my birthday so people will compare.

Once we got to school, we met up with Brenda's boyfriend, and apparently future father of her child, Joey, and Brad. Joey Marks also plays a huge part in my life. He's a _really_ close friend, one of my bests, and he's Brenda's boyfriend. I think he looks like he could be her twin brother with the same brown hair, thin eyes and olive skin. His facial expressions are identical to hers, as they always have been. Joey's really short at 5'8". He's like I.Q. in a way that he's innocent, cuddly, cute, adorable and so sweet. But he's completely different than him physically. Joey dances with Becky, and they look _really_ cute together. I think Bren and Joey are perfect together, but he'd be perfect with Becky in a different way. Joey has adorable style, I love it. He wears all these suits in colours like light grey, and beige that look really good on him. Joey isn't good with girls, so it's shocking that he's with Brenda, mega skank who has the ability to date someone super sexy like Jesse. Joey used to be _really_ shy and never spoke to anyone until his mom past away when he was 12. Now he's outgoing, aggressive and ready to dance.

As soon as we reached them, Brenda grabbed Joey by the arm and pulled him away. "We need to talk about something."

"Hey, Shelley? What was that about?" Brad asked, leaning over to me. He brushed his fingers through his light brown hair.

I chuckled. "Don't go spreading it around, but _somebody_ is pregnant."

Brad furrowed his brow. "You mean Brenda's…?" He roared of laughter. "Way to go, Bren!"

Brenda would've been pissed if she heard him say that. I rolled my eyes and helped my sliding backpack back up my left arm. We walked together to our first class.

I waited the long 6 and a half hours until 3:30 arrived, and I picked up all of my stuff. I met up with Brenda, Brad and Joey and we all made our way to the school bus stop, which would drive us to the WYZT station.

I sat down next to a tiny, sandy haired girl with bright blue eyes. "Hey Tammy," I greeted.

"Oh, hey Shelley!" Tammy squealed, excitedly. "Your hair looks great today, like usual. Did you use more hairspray than usual?"

"I'm up to two cans per morning, now," I answered. "Did you change your hair? I've never seen it curl out at the bottom like that since fourth grade!"

"Oh, yeah, I did."

The school bus approached, and Tammy left me to hop in, behind Marcus Johns, a.k.a. Sketch. Sketch was really hot, but really not my type. He's a little bit self centered, actually. When we met, I always called him Marcus, and I still do, no matter how much he despises me for it. I guess that's the only reason he despises me though, because apparently, he's had a crush on me since we were 8 years old.

Brenda and I got in the bus behind Lou Ann Macintyre, my gorgeous redheaded friend. As Lou Ann skipped between seats, I noticed her make flirtatious eye contact with one of my best friends, I.Q Chambers. I'm the _only_ person who knows what I.Q. actually stands for. It makes me laugh just trying to imagine him with such a goofy name.

I.Q.'s eyes widened as Lou Ann approached to sit next to him. Lou Ann Macintyre is another of my best friends. She's a total sweetie pie. She's short at 5'6", and she has flaming red, curly hair, and gentle brown eyes. She's a good dancer, and her partner is Paulie. She happens to dance best with Joey, but he was already with Becky. Lou is friends with everyone I hate. She used to be so close to Brad until he started getting all, "Oh, I'm so hot!" Lou Ann likes I.Q., and she's really funny about it. Their relationship is so cute. Lou Ann _always_ acts like a little school girl who has a crush on a little boy. She's always chasing him around, following him around just to sit next to him on the school bus and cuddles into him. Of course, he always runs away. It's actually really funny watching them. Lou Ann is so adorable, and she's one of the nicest people I know. Her attractions are all over the place with Mikey, Paulie and I.Q. I only think she'd look good with I.Q., though.

I guess I should tell you what I.Q. stands for. But before you make fun, I should tell you that before his younger brother of 14, Aaron, was born, his parents went through some weirdo British phase. Unfortunately, that resulted in the name 'Isatore Quincy' for their first born child. I.Q. is _really_ cute, and I'm almost totally in love with him, despite him being my best friend. We hadn't spoken until we were 12, when he asked me out. We dated till we were 15, and _almost_ slept together the night we broke up, just after we had actually broken up. Now, I.Q. is my best friend. He has light brown hair, blue eyes, and he's _really_ tall at 6'4", at least. Our relationship is hilarious. We always flirt, which sometimes…most times…always…leads to us cuddling, and kissing, making Lou Ann jealous, accidentally. I.Q. still loves me, he's told me a thousand times, but he's still crushing on Lou. He dances with Noreen, and he's one of the best dancers on the show. I.Q.'s basically perfect. He's smart, cute, sweet, romantic, adorable… Any girl who isn't interested is into _girls_!

After laughing at I.Q.'s sad misfortune, I took a seat with Brenda, across from Brad and Joey. "So, skanky pregnant sister," Brad chuckled. "When're you gonna spill the beans to Mrs. V. that you're my skanky pregnant sister?"

Brenda rolled her eyes at her brother and turned to face me. "What an egg head." She bustled her head into my shoulder.

"Bren, calm down. I'm just trying to lighten up the scary situation, and get the shuddering thought that my best friend and my sister had to do it to make this happen."

"Well, stop!"

After 10 minutes of silence, we all got off the school bus and entered the WYZT station, aware that it wouldn't be long until the short 60 minute rehearsal/preparation time we had would be over. Every one of us rushed over to our assigned mirrors. I sat on my stool reading the sign at the top. 'Shelley'. I loved my name. It was so beautiful. It was so unique. It was so me.

As I prepared my makeup, I was suddenly sprayed by a misty cloud of Ultra Clutch hairspray. "Made you jump!" Christopher Greene shouted. Chris was one of the few council members who had a distinctive nickname. We called him Fender. He says that the first guitar his parents had gotten him was a Fender Stratocaster. That's where he got the nickname.

Fender was only a bit taller than me, standing quite short at 5'10". His hair was fuzzy and black, and his brows were big and bushy. He and I became friends through Joey, but we're barely close. I personally don't see why all the girls always fuss over him being so cute. He's not as cute as some of the other council members, that's for sure.

I picked up my hairspray can and chased Fender around with it, sprayed him non-stop. We carried on for a minute or two until he bumped into Rebecca Lorousse, knocking her over. Victoria White helped her up.

Rebecca, or Becky as we called her, was adorable to the extreme. Her hair was short and dirty blond. No matter how often she was on T.V., or how good a dancer she was, Becky was always so nervous. She's only a couple of inches shorter than me, but she's quickly gaining. Becky doesn't quite get along with some of my male friends, like Brad, and Joey, and Fender sometimes, but I do happen to know about her little secret crush on Mr. Bradley.

Vicki on the other hand…I cannot stand her. But to be completely honest, it's only because in 3rd grade, she told everybody a really terrible rumor about me. I can't even remember what it was, but it had me scarred for a few years. She has short, sandy hair, and she's the same height as me. She's actually very pretty. Amber got everybody making fun of her because she's the 'fattest' girl on the show. To me, that just says that all of the other girls are scarily, unhealthily skinny, because Vicki's only 131 lbs.

Becky and Vicki joined into the chase until Velma yelled at us. "There's a time and a place for everything…except for that!" I hated her, as well…

As Vicki stood up from her ending fall, she grabbed onto Paulie Jason. Paulie has flaming red hair and was 6 feet tall. He was completely into Vicki, which was so ridiculous. They've been on/off since they were _eleven_ years old. They're currently off, but probably going to be on again tomorrow…

I fixed my hair and returned to my dressing station. I sat down and picked up one of my washing loofas, shoving it down my dress, ultimately…stuffing my bra. Hey, at least it looked real. But I couldn't find my other one. I turned around to see Jesse Jamero spraying his hair. He had a loofa next to his extra hairspray can. Why he had one, I didn't wanna know.

Jesse was quite tall at 6'2". He had really dark, slick hair, dark eyes, and he hung out with all of the boys who think they're so hot, like Marcus.

"Hey, Jess?" I asked. I pointed to the loofa. "Can I borrow that?"

"Um… Sure." Jesse handed me the loofa, and I stuffed it down my dress, equalling out the size.

I hopped up and ran on to stage, meeting one of my 'frienemies', Darla Dell. Darla's about the same height as me, with the same hair as Lou Ann. She and I get along, we're good friends, but sometimes I hate her for always liking the guys I do, and 'flirting' them away from me…

We started rehearsing with Noreen and Doreen Nelson, who are the second set of twins on the show. They have the same brown, bouncy hairstyle, and are completely identical. I'm really close with Noreen, and because of that, I enjoy the presence of Doreen as well, sometimes. We're always able to tell them apart because Noreen always wears colours like pink, red, orange and yellow where Doreen wears purple, blue, green and grey. Later on, Michael Boss, or Mikey, joined in as well.

We stopped rehearsing when we heard a screech sound. Amber. We all looked over, and there was Amber, complaining to her 'drop-dead gorgeous' boyfriend, Link Larkin. Well, all the other girls think Link is attractive. I think he looks like a drugged up duck that just got run over by a stampede of cows, and then was crushed by an 8 year old refrigerator that has never been washed with the same age old cottage cheese inside of it. Point made. Actually, Link is a _really_ nice guy, and we're pretty close. We've dated once before. He was actually my first boyfriend. Oh, back in the days when he was cute…

I quickly looked away after hearing a beautifully familiar roar of laughter coming from the dressing stations. There he was, Bix Scott. Bix of course wasn't his real name; his real name was Clint Scott…which is why people call him Bix. Bix was the same height as me, and was really cute. I just wanted to give him a hug. This was the guy I had moved on to. I really like him. I just wanna go run off with him, and get married, every single time I see him. He's good friends with Brad, Link, Mikey, Jesse and Marcus. Y'know, the group of guys who think they're all hot, and what not. The only one thing I don't like about him is how jealous he is of Brad. It's like, Bix isn't afraid to show Brad how he _hates_ the fact that _Brad_ is Link's beat friend and not him.

"Alright, everybody! Places, please!" Mrs. V. shouted. I shook my head to get out of my trance, and got back into my real world. I ran into place.

"And five, four, three…" The camera man finished off his count down with his fingers.

"Hey there teenage Baltimore!" Corny Collins shouted into the camera as the rest of the council members danced around. "Don't change that channel, 'cause it's time for The Corny Collins Show! Brought to you by Ultra Clutch Hairspray!"

He started singing our theme song. "Oh, every afternoon when the clock strikes four…"

"Bop bee bop, ba ba ba ba ba bee bop!" We all sang, doing the theme dance.

"A crazy bunch of kids crash through that door!"

"Bop bee bop, ba ba ba ba ba bee bop!"

"Well, they throw off their coats and leave the squares behind, and then they shake it, shake it, shake it, like they're losing their mind. You'll never see them frown 'cause they're the…"

"…nicest kids in town!"

As I looked around at everyone dancing around with other people's partners, I noticed Amber dancing solo. She was supposed to be dancing with Brad. Brad tried to sneak around her, but she pushed him away.

"Oh, every afternoon you turn your T.V. on!"

"Na na na na na na na na na!" At this time, as we swung one arm up in the air, I purposely pushed Amber forward, and grinned as she glared at me.

"And we know you turn the sound up when your parents are gone, yeah!"

"Na na na na na na na na na!"

"When you twist and shout for your favourite star, and when you've practiced every step that's in your repertoire, you'd better come on down and meet the…"

"…nicest kids in town!" We all danced away from Corny Collins after we waved into the camera.

"Nice _white_ kids who like to lead the way, and once a month we have our…"

"Negro Day!" All of the council members stretched their arms and legs apart and then carried on with our dancing slowly dropping our arms.

"And I'm the man who keeps it spinnin' round, Mr. Corny Collins with the latest, greatest Baltimore sound!"

At this time, Amber and Link, as usual, took all the spot light as they danced in front. The others lined up behind them, dancing back and forth, going the opposite way as their partners. Mine was Brad, as he usually was. We danced between Darla and Mikey, and Becky and Joey, who were at the end of the long line up. Lou Ann and Paulie started the line on the other side.

"So every afternoon drop everything!"

"Bop bee bop, ba ba ba ba ba bee bop!"

"Who needs to read or write when you can dance and sing?"

"Bop bee bop ba ba ba ba ba bee bop!"

We all grouped off in two groups on either side of Corny, who helped up a fallen Amber as he sang, "Forget about your algebra and calculus. You can always do your homework on the morning bus." The two groups ran over to Corny. "Can't tell a verb from a noun, they're the…"

"…nicest kids in town!"

We all quickly ran away and got into our lines at the back of the stage. I stood between Brenda and Lou Ann, across from Sketch and I.Q, who we were going to meld with in line soon enough.

"R-r-r-roll call!" Corny shouted. Then he moved out of the way.

"I'm Amber!"

Like usual, Amber was taking too much time trying to look pretty for the camera, so Brad pushed her to the side and put his hands to his hips. "Brad!"

"Tammy!" Tammy's voice was high pitched as she made a T shape out of her arms.

"Fender!" Fender bent down and strummed an air guitar before he ran to the side.

"Brenda!" Brenda jumped in the air, raising her arms up high.

"Sketch!" Sketch bent down and used his hands to smooth his hair back.

"Shelley!" I shouted next, placing my hands under my chin. Brenda and Tammy always say I sound so incredibly happy. Even happier than Tammy sounds.

"I.Q.!" My friend introduced, putting one finger up to his tempo, and the other hand to his hip.

"Lou Ann!" Lou Ann sounded excited as well.

"Joey!"

"Mikey!"

"Vicki!"

"Becky!"

"Bix!"

"Jesse!"

"Darla!"

"Paulie!"

"Noreen!" Noreen stopped for just a moment with her thumb up until her sister arrived behind her.

"Doreen!"

The drugged duck made his way up to the front of the now broken line. "And I'm…Link." I could almost hear all of the girls screaming around Baltimore…aside from my sisters and I, who are gagging.

"So if every night your shaking as you lie in bed…"

"Mony mony! Ooh, mony mony!"

"And the bass and drums are pounding in your head!"

"Mony mony! Ooh, mony mony!"

"Who cares about sleep when you can snooze in school?"

"Ah-ooh!"

"You'll never get to college, but you'll sure look cool!"

"Ooh, ah-ooh!"

"Don't need a cap and a gown when you're the…"

"…nicest kids in town!"

"They're the nicest, nicest. They're the nicest, nicest! They're the sugar and spices. Nicest kids in…"

We all turned around and ran up to Corny. "…kids in town. Whoo!"

One 'Stricken Chicken' later…

We finished of our dance and clapped our hands off, cheering for ourselves. A loud beep went off. "And we're off…" Mrs. Von Tussle moaned. "Corny!"

As she went off to yell at one of my favourite people in the world, like her family enjoyed, obviously, someone called my name again. "Shelley!"

I turned to see another of my favourite people in the world running over at me. "Oh, hey Bix." I brought both of my hands over to my left hip and started flirting, as usual. "Good dancing today!"

"You too, like usual," he smiled. "Hey, listen I was just wondering…" This was it… Bix was about to ask me out. "How about…you and me go to…"

Bix's voice cut off when Velma Von Tussle shoved her hand down my dress and ripped the loofa out of my right bra cup. I stared at her in awe and ripped it out of her hand. I didn't dare to look back at Bix's face. I was too scared to see how he looked. Was he laughing at me? Was he turned on? Perhaps he was raising his eyebrow at me like I was stupid. Who knows? I pulled the other one out and handed them to the make-up girl.

I did turn around when I heard Brad say, very quickly, "I'll do it!" He then tore a rolled up cloth out of his pants. Apparently, Velma wanted him to ruin his time with Noreen, as well. She just didn't want any of us to be happy. When we're happy, she's not. You could see where Amber gets it from.

Then, I wasn't so afraid to look at Bix after the massive humiliation that Mrs. V. just put me through. He actually smiled at me, and we laughed a little bit at it. I let my eyes drift away from him when I noticed Brenda talking to Velma, and she held her stomach a little bit.

Amber approached me angrily. "You try that again, and there will be sumps where your feet should be! You got that? You little whor--."

"Amber!" Link called.

Amber turned around for her boyfriend and walked to him slowly. "—oly moly! Baby!"

I rolled my eyes. "God I cannot stand her."

"I know…" Bix agreed. "There's just something about her, and I don't know what it is…"

"You don't know what it is?!" I scoffed.

"Good point…" Bix decided. "So anyway, Shelley… Do you wanna, y'know, go out to…"

"Shelley!" someone else called.

I groaned as Brad approached me, prancing.

"Look, I'll talk to you later, Shelley," Bix said, walking away.

I groaned again, turning around to Brad. I hit him hard in the head.

"Hey!"

"You _idiot!_" I shouted at him. "Bix was just about to ask me out!"

"Oh…well then I guess it wouldn't be the best time to tell you that I have a date with Noreen on Sunday."

I rolled my eyes, annoyed, and hit Brad in the arm as I walked away.

Brenda and I met up outside of the station, ready to walk home.

"Shell, I'm leaving the show A.S.A.P." Tears were brought to my friend's eyes as she said that. "I know that I said that I had to leave early because you start showing really fast…but I'd rather have people think I'm fat and stay on for a couple of months than have people know I'm pregnant and be off for 9 months. I don't want to leave. I want to stay. Savour every moment until we have to leave the council and watch fresh, new little 8th graders take our spots, one by one."

"I understand, Bren," I assured her. "But listen, just…if you need anything, don't be afraid to call me over, and ask for my help or anything. Hey, does your dad know?"

"No and neither does my mom. What am I supposed to say? 'Hey, mom, dad, guess what? I slept with Joey and now I'm gonna have a baby!'? No, I was thinking maybe I'd just avoid them, and cover my stomach with a pillow every time they come around until I give birth. Then, that way, I can get the baby to live with Joey, and they'll never suspect a thing."

"Yeah, and what happens when you start getting so big that the pillow seems to look a lot more round?"

We paused as we reached her house. "It doesn't even matter, anymore. I mean, come _on_, they knew what they were allowing the first night they allowed me to have him over alone. Not saying that we did anything… But honestly, they always knew I was a little bit…promiscuous. It's their own fault."

I chuckled. "Wait a second, you asked your parents for permission to allow Joey to spend the night?"

"Yeah, that way they can kick Brad out of the house."

"They do that?!" I wondered. "If I was them, I always would have made Brad _stay_ just so it wouldn't result in nine months of agony."

Brenda lightly slapped me upside the head. "Bye, Shelley Belly."

I laughed lightly as I rubbed my head. "Bye."

* * *

I hope you liked it. I'll be posting Chapter 2 soon...Most likely later tonight, seeing as it's already finished. Don't forget to R&R!


	2. Can I Imagine the Floor Is You Instead?

Part 2 – Can I Imagine the Floor is You Instead?

Brenda and Corny told Baltimore about her pregnancy, and told all of the Patterson Park High girls that there would be auditions on May 5th for any girls to skip school and go try out at the station. That was today. It was early morning, about 9 o'clock, maybe. All of the council members arrived at the studio, including Brenda.

"Alright everyone! Cha Cha Cha partners! Chop, chop!" Velma's annoying voice boomed through my fragile ears, causing me to sigh angrily. We've been rehearsing our Cha Cha Cha ever since we were chose to be council members at age 13. We have _never_ used it in a dance, though.

I guess there was a plus side. We were allowed to choose our own partners. Velma told us to choose someone who we liked as a person, but someone that we had good chemistry with so that it didn't look like we were trying so hard. I personally thought my partner and I had the most chemistry. I mean, I.Q. is not only my best friend, but we were the best couple when we were. I actually picked him at the time just because he was my boyfriend, but we're even better now.

I.Q. and I stood in front of Noreen and Marcus, and Becky and Bix, beside Amber and Link. Doreen and Joey were behind them. The three of those pairs were in front of Tammy and Fender, and Vicki and Paulie. Brenda and Jesse, Lou Ann and Mikey, and Darla and Brad were in the back.

I.Q. put his arm around my waist just for a moment, holding me tight to him, bending down to put his lips up to my ear. "Mrs. V. is thinking of replacing you, too, Shell. She said she'll only do it if there're two girls who are really good. I heard her tell Corny that it's just because you and Brenda accused her precious little angel of being bulimic."

My jaw dropped. Oh, come on! I had only said that I didn't throw up after I ate. Is that such a crime? I can't lose this job. This career has been my entire life for the past 3 years.

"Ready yourselves," Velma commanded. Everyone put their arms bent in front of them, hands flat. Velma did so as well, facing us. "And one, two, three, begin! Front step, cha cha cha, back step, cha cha cha, side step, front step, back and turn! Front step, cha cha cha…"

Back step, cha cha cha… I told myself. As I continued on the steps, I could feel in my head that I didn't know what was coming next. I stumbled hard on the turn, causing me to trip, and almost fall flat on my face.

"Shelley!" The same annoying voice echoed through the studio. She stomped up to me. "It's 'side step, front step back and turn'! Not 'side step front step, back _step_ and _trip_'! Now Shelley, remind me why I chose _you_ instead of little Cindy Turner three years ago. Just remind me, please."

"You picked me because Cindy Turner was an ugly nerd who dressed like my history teacher, wore glasses and couldn't dance," I muttered. I continued along with everyone else doing our cha cha cha.

"Correct," Mrs. V. continued. "Now just imagine the floor is Cindy Turner. You don't want her to take your spot instead, do you? Stomp on her every step you take, and make her brain mush up every time you spin. Make your partner proud, before I start feeling pity on him for having been stuck with _you_."

"Can I imagine the floor is you instead?" I asked, seriously as she walked back to her spot.

She turned around slowly. "As long as it'll make you dance better." She continued walking back. "Now let's do this! Front step, cha cha cha… Brenda! You're going to need to practice extra hard, because you'll be gone for a really long time, just because you had to go and be a slutty little tramp! Stop screwing up! And then maybe I'll let you return."

Oh no she didn't…

"You'll regret it if you don't, Mrs. V.," Brenda groaned.

"Front step, cha cha…Bradley, get it right. Won't you want your niece or nephew to be proud of your dancing in the future? Make it happy!"

"Hopefully by then I won't have to show it this dance," Brad shouted. "It's making me want to throw something at your precious little angel over there."

That's what I loved about rehearsals. Nobody was afraid to insult Amber or Mrs. V. because she didn't care. She took the insults and she tossed them back later, when she felt like it.

"And Joey! Still worn out from your night in with that slutty little tramp? Get it right! Full on!"

"I never had a night in with you _or_ your precious little angel over there," Joey roared. "And don't worry Mrs. V. We all know you like it full on."

Joey was the best at throwing back the insults.

"Front step, cha cha cha, back step, cha cha cha, side step, front step back, and turn! Front step, cha cha cha, Tammy, sharper! Side step, front step, back, again!"

After turning, I noticed the girls who were here to audition. I noticed Tracy Turnblad, who was in my history class, and Cindy Turner. Didn't she _ever_ get tired of being rejected? All of the other girls dressed terrible, and appeared to have no coordination.

Mrs. V. stopped halfway through her next turn. "Oh Amber, look at this motley crew. This town sure has gone downhill since I was crowned Miss Baltimore Crabs."

Amber groaned, annoyed.

Mrs. V. continued. "Oh my God, how times have changed. These girls must be blind or completely deranged. But time seemed to halt when I was Miss Baltimore Crabs. Amber! That move is _far_ too dirty!"

"Mother, wake up from that dream of yours," Amber said. "This isn't nineteen-thirty!"

Doreen chuckled as we all turned to hold our partners. As we stepped to the side, the boys turned their head, but as the boys bent us back, the girls turned their heads to the side. I.Q. smiled at me, knowing that I would be safe.

"You can laugh, but life's a test," Mrs. V. continued. "Don't do this, don't do that. Remember: Mother knows best. For the crown's in the vault from when I won Miss Baltimore Crabs."

We spun away from our partners, lining rows 1 and 2 together, as well as rows 3 and 4. Leg, leg, leg, leg, leg, leg clap… I told myself.

"These steps are perfect ammunition," Amber said to her mother.

"Let me show you how your mommy, dear, took out the competition." At this time, Sketch and I momentarily, flirtatiously smirked at each other. "Girls, go get 'em. Boys, let's rumba! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…"

All of the girls skipped off to collect one girl, while the boys lined up behind Velma, dancing. "Those poor runner-ups might still hold some grudges. They padded their cups, but I screwed the judges. Those broads thought they'd win, if a plate they would spin in their dance!" Velma spun into Brad, causing him, Joey, Paulie, Link and Mikey to lift her up. "Ha! Not a chance! Boys, put me down." As the boys placed her down nicely, she continued. "Oh, good morning ladies. Let's see what you've got.

"Twist, twist, twist, twist, mashed potato, mambo!" All of the council members sang as we showed the girls the moves.

"Ready? Begin!" Velma shouted. "On my show, you'll never find a thrusting hip or bump and grind."

"What's that? A dance for fleas and ticks?" her daughter asked, making fun of Cindy in particular.

"Oh, you should have seen my bag of tricks. Oh, I hit the stage, batons ablaze, while belting Aïda and preparing soufflés. But that triple summersault is how I clinched Miss Baltimore Crabs." Mrs. V. drifted off into some fantasy land, dancing around like an idiot. After a while, she took a deep breath. "Proceed."

The girls started approaching Tracy Turnblad. "Are you scared we're on live?" Tammy asked.

"No, I'm sure I can cope!" Tracy answered, doing the mashed potato.

Amber had a good insult coming up, we could all feel it. "Well this show isn't broadcast in…"

"Cinemascope!" We all teased loudly. We walked away from the girl, looking back at Mrs. V. who was being let down by Bix and Brad. Had they even picked her up? "I never drank one chocolate malt. No deserts for Miss Baltimore Crabs."

Amber reproached Cindy, "This one will _never_ get a date in those hand-me-down clothes."

"Ha! Kid, she'll never get a date till daddy buys her a new nose. I would say 'Oy, gevalt!' if I wasn't Miss Baltimore Crabs!

"Do you dance like you dress?" Amber asked Cindy's friend who was also auditioning.

"Amber, there's no need to be cruel!" Link defended.

"Would you swim in an integrated pool?"

All eyes were drawn to Tracy after Mrs. V. asked her that question. "I sure would! I'm all for integration. It's the new frontier!"

Tammy and I looked at each other shocked at her answer. Bad choice, Tubby.

"Not in Baltimore it isn't," Mrs. V. said, trying to let Tracy down easily. It didn't work quite well. "And may I be frank? First impressions can be tough, when I saw you, I knew it. If your size weren't enough, your last answer just blew it." We all circled around Tracy and Velma. The girls were in a closer circle. Between every girl behind us, there was a boy. I was between Amber and Tammy. Between Tammy and I, Brad was, and Joey was between Amber and I.

"And so my dear, so short and stout, you'll never be in…"

"So we're kicking you out!" We all continued with the cha cha cha.

"With your form and your face… Ah, well it isn't your fault. You're just down with a case of Miss…"

"Baltimore…"

"Crabs! Ugh…you may go."

"Uh…Thank you?" Tracy trudged away with her friend.

After all of the girls left, we followed behind.


	3. Where's My Round One?

Part 3 – Where's My Round One?

As I put my chemistry book in my locker, I was greeted by two similar faces. "Shelley!" shouted the one in the pink. "I have to ask you something."

I finished putting my books in and shut my locker. "Sure, No, what is it?"

"Walk with us." Noreen hooked arms with me, walking me to her locker. "So you and Brad…"

"Yeah…?" I wondered.

"You guys are tight, huh?" Noreen's voice was stuttering.

"Yeah…?"

"How tight?"

I roared out laughing. "Uh…NO. Go ahead, Noreen."

"So…you really don't mind that Brad and I are going out some time?" Noreen asked.

"No, I'm more into…Bix than Brad," I explained. "Only by like, a mile. Brad is way too much of a friend." We stopped at her locker. "Besides, Noreen…I'm pretty sure he likes you. Why else would he have asked you out?"

"Maybe you're right?" She wondered, taking a book out of her locker. "Gosh, I hope you're right!"

"Speaking of Brad…" Doreen pointed out. Brad was walking down the hall will Link.

Rob Tucker smiled at me from his locker across the hall, motioning for me to come over to him. One thing about Rob, he was a part of the group of kids that always hung out. The Council Members used to be one huge group of friends, even though some people were disliked in it. Everyone had their connections. Rob and Bix are best friends, and they were the last two that were to be chosen between when the council members were being decided. Rob wasn't chosen, and Bix was. It was really hard, because Rob was such a great dancer. That didn't mean we stopped being friends with him though.

"I'll see you guys later," I said. As Brad walked by, I bumped into him. "G'luck." I walked over to Rob. "What is it?"

"I noticed you talking to Bix after class," he mentioned. "For like, three days in a row, he's been attempting to ask you something really important."

"What?" I asked curiously as we started walking towards Rob's next class, slowly.

Rob laughed as he heard my heart beat speed up. "I can't say. He just…really likes you. And that new dance club opened up down the street, too. He just been _itching_ t—" He stopped. We both noticed Tracy Turnblad grab Penny Pingleton's hand and place it on her chest. We stared for a moment, but neither of us laughed.

We parted ways there as I threw myself against a locker, holding my books to my chest. At least now I knew that Bix was interested.

The period just before lunch arrived, and everybody was rushing to get the stuff out of their lockers and get to class. My next class was trigonometry. I sucked at trig. So badly, I was actually getting a 39. 39 is terrible for a straight 90 student, such as myself, obviously.

As I rushed past Tracy Turnblad's locker, she was still singing. "Round one, he'll ask me on a date." I paused hearing her singing. "And then, round two, I'll primp but won't be late because…"

She just stopped singing. Good place to stop I guess…A little bit random, but okay. She ran off to class, so I left as well.

It was lunchtime. Brad and I picked up our trays and headed to our usual eating spot outside. Around the school's garden, there was a pretty high brick ledge, surrounded by grass. It was a really nice place to eat when the weather was warm. Joey, Brenda, Brad, Tammy, Fender, I.Q., Lou Ann and I have been eating there since we first came to high school.

As we passed by the Drivers Education garage, I heard Tracy's singing voice continue from where it left off. "Round three is when we kiss inside his car! Won't go all the way, but I'll go pretty far!" She stopped once more for Brad and I to carry on.

When we got out to the garden in the back, we noticed Brenda and Joey were the first ones there. Joey's legs dangled down off of the ledge, but Brenda was curled up in a ball going sideways on the ledge. She slouched down. Her back was against Joey's side, and her knees were up. Joey's arm was over her shoulder, and she held his hand on top of her stomach. Too cute. They were so adorable.

I sat down next to Brenda and handed her an apple. "I got the biggest one they had for you."

"Why?" Brenda asked, kind of rudely. Who could blame her? The girl's been through a lot.

"You're eating for two, Bren!" I reminded her.

Brad sat on the grass, cross-legged when the rest arrived. Lou Ann sat next to him with Fender on the other side. Tammy sat against the ledge under Brenda's spot, and I.Q. sat close to me, cuddling up to me. He placed a soda on my tray and put his arm around me, pulling me closer. See? I.Q. had potential to be such a romantic person. He's just afraid of girls. Well, all girls except for me, of course.

"Okay, should I be freaked out that Tracy Turnblad just grabbed by the tie and threw me against the locker?" I.Q. joked.

"I don't know?" Brad joked. "Should I be freaked out that I saw her dancing with a room full of negroes screaming out that she was, 'a bad, bad girl who needs to be punished!'?"

I chuckled. "Well Rob and I saw her grab Penny's hand and make her grab her chest. Not to mention she's been singing about the process of a relationship for like, 2 hours."

"Well that's interesting…" Fender muttered, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Anyone have a date to the hop tomorrow?" Tammy asked, sounding muffled as she chewed her cheese sandwich.

It went silent.

"Oh good, so it wasn't just me!"

"I wanna go, but I don't wanna ask anyone," I explained.

"Aren't you going with Bix?" Joey assumed, taking a sip of water.

"No, we aren't an object."

"Why don't we all just go with each other then?" Lou Ann suggested.

"Ooh, ooh!" Tammy shouted. "Can I play match maker?!"

I.Q. rolled his eyes. "Go ahead, Tams."

"Ooh, ooh!" Lou Ann repeated. "Maybe Tammy will put us together, I.Q.!"

"Umm…Maybe I.Q. should be paired with Shelley for this one…Sorry Lou."

Lou Ann sighed. "Whatever."

Tammy carried on. "Lou Ann, maybe you can be with Fender. He's good. That means Brad should be with me, because Brad and Brenda together is awkward."

Brenda laughed. "Thanks."

After lunch, it was time for my spare. Tammy and Joey had a spare at this time, too, so we all hung out and walked around the school. We were walking past each of the classes to make fun of all of our miserable looking friends.

It was just as we walked by band class where I heard Tracy's voice echoing through my ears again. "Round 4, he'll ask me for my hand and then, round 5, we'll book the wedding band so by…" There was her cut-off line.

"Why does she keep stopping after words that don't even make sense to stop at?" I asked nobody in particular.

"Shelley, it's Tracy Turnblad," Tammy pointed out. "God only knows what goes through that girl's head."

I sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

Gym came next. We were playing dodge ball, as usual. Tammy, Brenda, Lou Ann and I all had this class together. Tammy, Brenda, Lou Ann and Mary Andrews, who is Rob's girlfriend, were all on a team with Tracy Turnblad, and a bunch of other people. I was the only person I was friends with that was on my team, as usual.

Tracy's voice went off again. "Round six, Amber much to your surprise…"

That's when I got angry. I didn't know why I cared so much until just now. I whipped the ball that was in my hand right at Tracy's face. I watched her drop to the ground, and smile. "…this heavyweight champion takes the prize!"

I frowned listening to her continue. "Where's my round one?"

"Shell, I can't go to the hop with you, I'm really sorry," I.Q. told me. Slap in my face. "I can explain though. See, for some stupid reason, Mrs. Matchmaker decided she didn't like who she matched herself with, then she asked Fender. So Lou Ann was all pissed off at me, because she thought it was my fault that Tams didn't put us together. So she asked Joey instead, causing Brenda to ask me. I accepted."

"So much for a pact," I said, rolling my eyes. "So who can I ask? No one's left! I mean, Link's performing, so we're down to 9 boys."

"And Rob!" I.Q. remembered. "Rob is going with Vicki, because Mary didn't feel like going."

"Yeah, and I heard Marcus and Darla are going together, and Bix and Mikey are already going with the twins. I'm not even going to consider Paulie, because I think he's already paired up with Miss Baltimore-I've-Got-Crabs' precious little angel."

"Yeah, and then Jesse's with Beck…But y'know…Tammy did have to leave _someone_."

"Brad!" I remembered.

I.Q. nodded his head. "Yeah, but…y'know you and I can always get together some _other_ time…" I loved it when he flirted. It entitled me to another kiss. I smiled and grabbed his tie. I pulled him closer to me and took a short but passionate kiss out of him. Now, I'm not saying I like I.Q. or anything, I'm just saying that he's a really good kisser. I kept my forehead to his and smiled. "Thanks!" I punched my fist to his chest and ran away.

I entered my Spanish class room and took my seat in front of Brad. I turned around to look at him. "Hear Mrs. Matchmaker ditched you?"

"Um, yeah?" Brad whispered back.

"I.Q. ditched me too, wanna go?"

Brad nodded as the teacher continued.

"Alright, where do you wanna dance? Near the back, or near the front?" Brad asked me, looking around the gym, which was separated in half with a rope. The rope indicated that Negroes should dance on the opposite side as us.

"Hmm…back, but close to the rope," I decided. "How about we got beside Vicki and Rob over there?"

"Sure, let's do this," Brad shrugged. He grabbed my hand and we made our way through the crowd of people over to our spot. We ended up between Vicki and Rob, and Paulie and Amber. They were at next to Tammy and Fender, then Lou Ann and Joey were at the end. In front of Vicki and Rob were Becky and Jesse. On the other end were Darla and Marcus who were next to Bix and Mikey, dancing with the twins. It was hard to tell which was which. Today they were both wearing the exact same dress of white and pink. In front of us danced I.Q. and Brenda.

"I think it'll only be polite for me to point out that your dress looks great on you," Brad told me. I looked down at my dress. It was blood red with small white dots, and it went half way up my neck. "What about me?"

I laughed as I carefully examined his plaid shirt of mustard gold and olive green, and his beige pants. I scrunched my nose up. "Well…at least one of us looks good." We both chuckled.

"Alright everybody, we're gonna slow it down…" Corny announced. Corny was chosen to host the hop.

Link started singing a slow song that I had never heard before, and Brad spun me into him, slowly. We started awkwardly slow dancing. This was our first slow dance together that we didn't _have_ to do, and for obvious reasons, it did _not_ feel proper. As we took our first slow rounds, I looked over at I.Q. and noticed him looking at me as well, jokingly jealous. We stuck our tongues out at each other and chuckled.

After our first dance, which felt incredibly not right, the lights were switched on, and Link started singing 'Ladies' Choice'. It was, thankfully, a sped up, bouncy dance that we all knew the moves to.

"Hey little girl with the cash to burn, I'm sellin' something you won't return. Hey little girl take me off the shelf, 'cause it's hard havin' fun playin' with yourself. Once you browse through the whole selection, shake those hips in my direction! Bringing back gifts you never did see, take me home and then unwrap me. Shop around a bit, but darlin' I've got to be…the ladies' choice!"

It was then where it was like the sound became inaudible, and I just became one with the dance floor. Where was the music? Where was Brad? Where were the rest of the dancers? I didn't have a clue. I just danced.

That's when Tracy Turnblad shoved everyone aside and took control of the dance floor. Everyone stopped dancing. We all stepped back. I stayed close with Paulie, Amber and Brad as she danced.

"What is she doing?" Amber whined.

After she danced for about 20 seconds, the lyrics of the song continued and all of the boys joined in with Tracy. All of them. Brad, I.Q., Marcus…everyone.

Tracy didn't stop until Corny gave her two thumbs up.

When the hop was over, Corny halted all of the Council Members, including Brenda from leaving. Tracy stood by his side. "Everybody, I would like to introduce all of you to little Miss Tracy Turnblad. She will be your newest Council Member."

No. That means she'd be dancing with us. That means she'd be part of the roll call. That would mean she'd have to come to my house every year in May for an annual spring party. No way.


	4. No One Will Notice

Feel free to skip Chapter 4...Nothing important happens and you won't be missing anythingt. Scroll down to the bottom if you would like a short summary.

* * *

Chapter 4

Every May, on the second Saturday, I throw an end of the year, spring party. It started as a birthday party when I was 8 years old. I invited all of the current council members, including Rob and Mary. Ever since, I've always had these…gatherings. A bunch of us would get together, and we'd all play games like 'Spin the Bottle' and '7 Minutes in Heaven'. Then all of the boys would go home… That's when Amber, or Brenda would come up with a really bad, nasty game – if you could even call it a game – and we'd all play it, no matter what it was. Over the years, the games seem to be getting worse and worse.

So it was May 11th, and everybody was coming. I was a pretty late party. Started at 7, and the boys stayed until midnight. That's five hours of unsupervised teen partying. Then they would all leave, and they girls would all gossip, and be girls. Thankfully, my friends were usually the first ones to come, so I wouldn't have to be stuck alone with people like Paulie or Amber for any time.

Joey, Brad and Brenda were the first to arrive, like usual, and Becky and Marcus came next. We were alone for about 2 minutes before the rest of the guests started pouring in. Bix, Rob and Mary came together, just before Amber and Link, who were the last to arrive.

Everyone already knew where all of the refreshments were, so there was no need to offer anyone anything.

"You know Shelley, no matter what, it's always polite to offer people beverages as soon as they arrive," Amber told me.

"Yes, well when people barge into your house and start eating all of your food without even saying hello, there's no need, is there?"

When the time was right, Brenda brought out the games. "Who wants to play 'Spin the Bottle'?"

"Ooh, yay!" Tammy shouted, sitting down in the middle of my tiny living room floor.

"Um, my bedroom is like, 8 times the size of my living room," I pointed out.

"Don't we usually play games in there all the time anyway?" Becky wondered.

Without clearing it up with me first, Brenda went through my cupboards until she found a supersized glass bottle of Coca-Cola which had never been drank out of. "How old is this?"

"Like, eight years old," I shrugged. "You can toss it if you want. We can use that."

Brenda opened my front door and poured all of the soda out of the bottle on to the streets. "No one will notice…" She rinsed the bottle out so that it wouldn't get sticky, and she rushed it upstairs, to where everyone was waiting for us.

Vicki had already opened up a big bag of chips and was feeding on them. Amber ripped the bag out of her hands. "One-thirty-one!" Amber's reminding words hurt Vicki, and she knew it. She chuckled. "Oh, but don't worry about it… I guess it's not so bad seeing as you're the second fattest girl now by like, one hundred pounds!"

"Amber…" Link muttered.

"Alright, already, can we just start?" Brenda was filled with obvious anxiety as she placed the bottle in the middle of a big circle of 22 teenagers. I took my spot between Bix and Becky and looked at each of them. "Rules?"

Becky cleared her throat. "Can I make them up this time?" Becky rarely spoke at my parties. She was usually very shy. This was mainly because she hadn't met any of us until she had joined the Council in the 8th grade, and all of us had already been so friendly with everyone else.

"Sure, Becks!" I said, enthused. I was so happy that Becky was finally starting to fit in. She used to be such a little weirdo until 9th grade, when people finally understood why I liked spending so much time with her. This was completely different than Tammy's fitting in, because Tammy was quite a bit prettier than Becky at the time, and she was a much better dancer.

"Alright, let's spice things up," she started, sounding quite enthusiastic herself. "How about… This time the kiss _has_ to be on the lips. None of those crappy little cheek kisses. And the kiss has to last for at _least_ ten seconds."

Everyone sounded excited by her new rules. In previous games like this, nobody kissed anywhere but the cheeks, and if they _did_ kiss on the lips, it would only be a short little peck that last half a millisecond.

"Oh, actually, I have a better idea!" Becky shouted. "How about… we go 100 spins? It'll last longer, and it'll make my idea a lot…juicier." This was a side of Becky I had never seen before. "How about, every ten kisses have to get bigger and…juicier." Her words have the whole room getting even tenser than it already was. "Example: Kisses one to ten can only be kisses on the hand. Kisses eleven to twenty can only be kisses on the forehead. Twenty one to thirty can only be on the cheek. Thirty one to forty can only be pecks on the lips. Forty one to fifty can only be lightly on the neck. Fifty one to sixty can only be cutely passionate kisses on the lips. Sixty one to seventy is sexy kisses on the neck. Seventy one to eighty is a rough kiss on the mouth. Eighty one to ninety is making out with only a bit of tongues. Ninety one to ninety nine is like, romantic with tongues and…a bit of nibbling. Then number one hundred is just full on, down to the ground tongues and all."

"Sounds…dirty," Mary chuckled.

"Hell yes," Becky giggled. That's how Jana used to play it when she had parties."

"Okay, now here's my problem…" Joey threw in. "What if number one hundred is like…Brenda and Bix? Like, that's full on down and dirty, but she's not only pregnant, but she's pregnant with the child of someone she's really in love with. Not saying I would _completely_ mind…But, y'know. She might. Especially…what if it's Rob and Brenda, or Mary and I?"

"I think we'll definitely draw the line if it's two people who are already in a relationship, but if it's only one person that's in a relationship, then it's up to the couple, and the person who they're going to kiss," Becky chose. "Oh, and that's the same situation if a girl lands on a girl, or if a guy lands on a guy. Like, you can do it if you want…but you don't have to. You can just spin it again."

"Alright, can we start now?" Brenda asked, excited.

"You know, Bren, it really hurts to know that you're so excited to be making out with other boys right now," Joey said, putting his hand to his heart.

"Oh, calm down…Can we go around the circle?" Brenda wondered. "Like, starting with me?"

Joey rolled his eyes when I nodded my head, confused. Brenda spun the bottle first and it landed on Darla. Darla and Brenda each kissed each other on the hand at the same time, unable to decide who should kiss whose hand.

In that round, Joey got Mary, Lou Ann got Bix, I.Q. got Becky, Jesse got Rob, which was _super_ awkward, Mikey got Amber, Noreen got Fender, Fender got Vicki, and Mary landed on Link, directly after Tammy landed on me.

Round two: Kisses on the forehead. Round two wasn't much weirder. Rob got Mary, Becky landed on Paulie, I landed on Doreen, Bix ended up landing on Brenda, Link landed on Marcus, which was really uncomfortable, Amber landed on Mikey, Vicki got I.Q., Marcus had to kiss Lou Ann on the forehead, Darla was with Brad and Paulie got Fender.

Round three: Kisses on the cheek. Round three wasn't _much_ more interesting, but it was a little bit. Most of the pairings were of the exact same sex. Noreen, Brenda and Lou Ann all landed on me. Doreen landed on Tammy. All of the boys landed on boys except for Fender, who ultimately landed on Mary.

Round four: Pecks on the lips. Round four was amazingly uncomfortable. Tammy was first to go, and she landed on Darla. Mary and Rob each landed on each other and they giggled it off, blushing. Becky and I both landed on Jesse, and Bix landed on me. That had to be one of the happiest moments of my life. He wasn't a bad pecker, either. Link landed on Noreen, as did Vicki, which happened after Amber got Brad, and just before Marcus got Paulie, uncomfortably. I know it seemed really weird to say, but I was wondering when it would be my turn to have to kiss a girl on the lips, if I would even have one.

Round five was the light kisses on the neck. It wasn't so exciting because all of the girls got cute boys, and all of the boys got pretty girls. Brad and Joey both landed on me.

Round six was when it started getting _real_ interesting. Passionate kisses on the lips. It started with Tammy, who landed on Fender. Their kiss wasn't as extreme as it should've been, but it lasted quite long. Mary and Rob both got Mikey…Rob passed and spun again, where he got I.Q. He passed once again, and got Joey. It was at the time where he just said, "Oh, screw it…" and he kissed Joey. Becky landed on Jesse again, and I landed on Brad.

"Nuh-uh!" I rejected. I wasn't in the mood to kiss Brad, but they forced me to. It was disgusting, and weird, and his mouth tasted like the smell of his sweaty, disgusting bedroom.

Bix landed on Amber, and Link landed on me. "Nuh-uh!" I rejected again, but Link kissed me anyway. Amber glared at me angrily, and she landed on Paulie.

Round seven was quite sexy, actually. Romantic kisses on the neck. Darla was first, who landed on me. Her lips tickled, so I was laughing half of the time, as was she. I wouldn't even count that as a kiss on the neck. Paulie and Doreen both landed on each other, and I think Doreen ended up really liking it. Brad freaked out when he got Brenda, so he spun again, and got Brenda once more. He spun just once more and landed on Joey. We all roared of laughter.

"I'd rather kiss him then my sister," he shrugged. That one was more uncomfortable than Rob and I.Q. kissing. They totally cheated, though. When Brenda spun, after eight spins, she still landed on Brad all eight of them. It got to the point where we all got tired of her whining and Becky shouted out, "Just give your brother a goddamn hickey already so Joey can go!" And so Brenda listened to Becky, and awkwardly kissed her brother along the neck for a measly second, both of them holding grossed out, scrunched faces. Everyone else was oblivious to the fact that Brenda never _once_ even _tickled_ Brad's neck. It was _so_ cheap.

Joey and Lou Ann both landed on Vicki, and Lou Ann, seeing the trend that was happening, didn't even try to spin again, because she could already guess that she'd either continuously land on Vicki, or eight other girls. I.Q. landed on Noreen.

Round eight was really spicy. After Jesse took his first turn with Amber, we realized it was so disgusting, that we decided that that would be the cut off for kissing of the same sex, unless you were up to any challenge. Mikey landed on Tammy and Noreen got Rob. Noreen and Rob both felt really uncomfortable, but Mary made them do it, just to see what Rob looked like when he was making out with _her_. I'm sure we all felt as strange as Rob did. Fender got Lou Ann. Their kiss wasn't as passionate and strange as we would've liked to see, but Tammy's kiss with Marcus made up for it. Mary landed on Brad, and because she made Rob make out with Noreen, Rob made Mary make out with Brad. Rob then landed on Mary, which was actually really cute. Becky then landed on Brad as well, which made her blush because she liked him. I smiled at her and she smiled back. They looked really cute together, but then again, Becky looks cute with just about everyone. Noreen was jealous. I then landed on Marcus. Marcus was actually a really good kisser, and his mouth, may I just add, tasted a _lot_ better than Brad's did. It tasted like a mix between raspberries and cherries, with a hint of vanilla mint. Then Bix got me. My dream came true. He was an even better kisser than Marcus was, but his mouth didn't taste _quite_ as good.

Oh, round nine. That was just disgustingly all over the place. I was glad when I found out that I wouldn't _have_ to be part of it unless someone picked me. But of course someone did…why wouldn't they? Vicki landed on Rob, but Rob didn't want to, so Vicki spun again and she landed on Paulie. _We're gonna be here a long time…_ I thought. Their kiss was innocent. Not too bad, actually. Marcus…Marcus had to get me again. Actually, I had to admit, I wasn't too disappointed. It could've been worse, right? Paulie could've gotten me. Or Brad could have, when we already had to kiss tonight, and had to dance last week uncomfortably. Or even Joey could've gotten me, and then I'd be like, making out with my best friends boyfriend. Marcus stayed as innocent as possible, thankfully.

Everyone else wasn't much more interesting, they all got people they didn't like, except for Brenda, who landed on Joey.

Round ten…full on, and it was left over for Lou Ann. "I don't wanna…" she said, stuttering.

"I think Shelley should do it," Amber suggested. "It is her party after all…"

"Yeah, c'mon Shell!" I.Q. shouted from across the room. Everyone cheered me on.

I angrily stared I.Q. down for encouraging everyone. "I hope you get Lou Ann during 7 Minutes in Heaven…" So I went into the center of the circle and spun the empty soda bottle. It landed on I.Q. and everyone laughed, including I.Q. and I. Oh, the irony.

I'd actually rather _not_ explain how that kiss fell through…If you could even call it a kiss. Every time the kiss wasn't 'hot' enough, Amber kept making us do it again and again until we were practically on the floor.

7 Minutes in Heaven wasn't _that_ interesting, but it was tradition. All of the girls were handed pieces of paper with odd numbers, and boys were given even numbers. The person who ended up with number one would call a number, and they had to stay in a closet for seven minutes, and the boy could do _whatever_ they wanted to the girl. Then that boy would pick an odd number, and so on…

I got myself number 13. Thank God. No one would pick 13…It's considered unlucky in Italy. I smirked, thinking about that. Darla had number one, so she started us off by calling number eighteen – Rob. Rob probably didn't do anything, and he called number nine when he was done, which was Becky. Becky then called number two, and Bix was number two. Bix called twenty one and got Mary. Mary then got Jesse, then Jesse got Lou Ann. I chuckled a bit, hoping that she would call I.Q.'s number of, which I found out later, was fourteen, but she didn't. She called ten and got Paulie. Paulie then called out number nineteen and was forced to go into a closet with a not so happy Tammy.

After an awkward silence after Tammy and Paulie left the closet, she called out Brad's number of twelve. When they were out of the closet, Brad didn't hesitate to call thirteen. "Are you freaking _kidding_ me?!" I shouted out as soon as he called it. I got up, much less than willing to get into a closet with Brad for a long seven minutes.

So we shut the closet door. Neither of us even thought of even looking at each other. He was probably trying to get the mental image of us two kissing to get out of his head, too. We waited 4 minutes until we busted out. "Alright, seven minutes is up!" I lied. I didn't care anymore; it was starting to get strange. As Brad sat down, I called out number fourteen, and up came I.Q. That wasn't much more exciting than Brad's. As usual, we just pretended to be a couple, and he kissed me once, softly. We left the closet after seven long minutes of laughing and chatting.

"Chickens…" Amber muttered. She probably heard us laughing at stupidity.

I.Q., keeping the trend of order, called out number fifteen, basically tossing himself into a closet with Vicki, who later got Fender at number six. Fender then called number five, which entitled him to seven minutes in a closet with Noreen, who then called twenty two, which meant she had to go in with Link. Link later got Brenda, who got Mikey, who got Amber, who got Marcus, who got Doreen, who got I.Q., who once again called out my number. Since we had already been in together, the game was over, and we didn't have to go back in with each other.

* * *

Okay, just for a short summary, Shelley is holding some sort of annual spring party and they play immature games like Spin the Bottle that they've played since they were about 10 years old. All of the Council is there, including Rob and Mary. Please R&R if you actually read =D


	5. Truth or Dare?

Part 5 – Truth…or Dare?

"Alright, they've already been in the closet together. Game over!" Mary called. "Truth or dare?"

Never play Truth or Dare with Amber willingly, Mary…

"Ooh, good idea Mary!" Amber enthused. All of the girls glared at Mary angrily.

"Can I start?!" Mikey asked, excited for the first time at one of my parties. No one answered. "Alright, whatever… Brenda, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Did this shock anyone?

"Alright, I dare you to…do a dirty dance to 'The Nicest Kids in Town', using anyone you want."

Let's just say, watching Brenda grind down and dirty with both Jesse and Tammy at once was…fascinating.

Brenda sat down, winking at Jesse. Joey dropped his shoulders and sighed. Brenda fluffed her hair for a second. "Alright Becky: Truth or dare?"

A wide grin swept across Becky's face as it turned pink. "Truth!" Obviously, Becky had chosen dare, because she sure as hell couldn't have thought that choosing truth when you were asked by _Brenda_ was simple.

"Okay, if you had to pick one boy that's currently in this room, who do you think you'd wanna get real down and dirty with, just based on appearance?" Wow, Brenda was easy on her.

Becky's eyes widened as she scanned the room. She chuckled when she came up with an answer. I never understood why Becky was so daring whenever she was at parties like this… "Probably…Sketch." That actually shocked me.

Marcus winked at Becky, and slicked his hair back. Oh my God, what an obnoxious loser. Becky giggled, embarrassed. Marcus smiled as she laughed. When he noticed I rolled my eyes at him, he turned to face me. "Are you doing anything tomorrow night?"

"Ha! Not you," I joked.

"Okay, Bix, truth or dare?" Becky carried on.

"Dare!" Oh, he was so bad. I giggled to myself as he said it.

"I dare you to get it over with already!" Becky sounded impatient.

"Hey, alright, fine, but can I at least do it later on tonight?" Bix was procrastinating something, obviously.

"Fine, but you have to promise."

"I do!" They were practically leaning around me to each other. "Alrighty, Sketch! Truth or dare, buddy?"

"Truth." What a pansy.

"Kind of the same as Becky, but pick the top 3 girls you would totally get down with if given the chance."

Marcus didn't hesitate to name three names, "Shelley, Brenda, Tammy. Beck isn't too far behind, though." He winked around at all four of us. It was no secret that he liked me, but he was being so annoying!

"Amber?" Marcus began.

Amber didn't let him ask. "Dare."

Marcus was the _worst_ at making up dares, but he knew what pissed Amber off. "I dare you to…Oh I don't know…Wear red lipstick to school on Monday."

Amber gasped. Everybody knew that Vicki, Bren and I were the only ones allowed to wear red lipstick. It looked so crappy on everyone else. "Oh my God…" Everybody glared at her, waiting for her whining to be over. "Alright, fine… Shelley! Truth…or dare?"

So I was feeling risky… "Truth."

"Who was your first time?" Uh oh.

I was nervous. "Oh, you mean my first kiss? That was L…" ink…I finished off for myself.

"No, no…I mean your first _time_!" Amber repeated.

Oh crap. I was probably the only innocent girl on the show. "Um…there wasn't one." I muttered the words under my breath so that they couldn't hear.

"Pardon?"

"Uh…"

"Oh my God! Is little Shelley a poor little virgin?" Amber asked. I glared at her as Mary, Tammy and Vicki giggled. All were obvious non-virgins.

Amber continued to make fun of me until every last girl, and most boys, laughed at me. Even Lou Ann, Becky and Brenda broke out in a few chuckles. It got to the point where I could actually feel my face going scarlet, and the tears came out.

Amber cracked a few more jokes until my perfect knight in shining armour nearly exploded. "Amber, knock it the hell off!"

"Oh, look! The virgin's nerdy little boyfriend is here to save the day!" Amber teased.

"Hey, look, I don't know about you Amber, but a lot of people probably got hurt when you said that. And now they're all laughing because they're just happy that you didn't ask them the same thing. If you were to go around the room and see who has the same innocence as Shelley, quite a few people would have the same answer. Probably at least a _quarter_! I know that you, in particular, hurt me, too. So what now, are you gonna call me little virgin I.Q.? No, you're not, because Shelley's a female, and you bitches always have to be at each other's throats!" It was smart of him not to say half, because I happened to know that Brenda, Lou Ann, Tammy, Vicki, Mary, Amber, Noreen, Brad, Sketch, Rob, Joey, Link and Jesse all had…a different innocence than I did. There were probably more.

"Actually, dude…" Marcus began. "More than a quarter of us have…"

"I'd say about…How many of us are there? Twenty two? I'd say about one eleventh," Tammy snorted.

It took me a while to work out in my head that I.Q. and I were the only ones. "Shit…" I muttered.

I.Q. rolled his eyes and sighed.

Still, Amber found more ways to make fun of me. I stomped off into my sisters' old bedroom, opening the doors to the balcony. I slowly trudged on to the balcony and slouched over the edge, letting all of my tears just come out.

"Shell?" the voice of my hero rang.

I jumped at the sound. "I.Q.! You scared me." I lightened up a bit as he approached me slowly. "Thanks a lot for stickin' up for me."

"Hey, no problem! I just didn't like being slammed down for deciding to not…y'know, sleep together when we were fifteen years old." We both laughed awkwardly. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Why did you break up with me?" I.Q.'s voice sounded serious. I never actually told him that before.

I hesitated to answer him. "I didn't think I loved you anymore."

"But do you?"

Oh crap. "I don't know."

"Can I tell you something, Shelley Belly?"

"Of course you can, I.Q.T. Patootie!" I loved our stupid pet names.

"I think I do," he admitted shyly.

Now what do you say to that when you don't return the feelings…that much? "I.Q…"

"I…I know. You have Bix. I have Lou Ann. But it's not like it's easy to stop. I mean, look at how good we were together!"

He was frustrating me. "Yeah, but look how much better we are now!" I sighed. "I.Q., in some ways, we were meant to be together. But in even more ways, we were meant to be best friends. When we flirt, and kiss, and cuddle, it will _always_ mean something."

"It always has."

I pulled him down by the tie and gave him a long, passionate kiss. It lasted a while, but I separated our lips as soon as I could feel him smiling. I still held onto his tie, pulling him close to me. I brought him farther down so that I could whisper in his ear, "I can't be with you, I.Q." Those words even broke _my_ heart.

"Shelley!" We heard shouting.

I quickly let go of I.Q. After realizing whose voice it was, I pointed to I.Q's lips, and he rubbed the red lipstick excess off of his mouth.

"Out here!" I shouted.

Bix came rushing out. "Hey, man. Can I talk to Shelley for a second?"

I.Q. left, smiling at me as he did.

"What is it, Bix?" I asked.

"This has got to be the weirdest possible time to ask you this…" he began. By now, I was on my tip toes, leaning towards him. "But I was just wondering if you wanted to come to that new club that just opened down the street with me one day…I mean, it wouldn't _have_ to be like a d—"

"I'd love to!" I shouted before letting him say the word. I wanted it to be like a date, of course.

"Great, well… I have to go now," he told me. "I'll call you. When do you wanna…?"

"Well, when are you available?" I wondered. I was trying to play it cool, like I wasn't completely excited.

"How's Sunday?"

"Sunday's the…thirteenth? Yeah, that should be fine."

"Alright, well, I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Sure!" So much for keeping my cool... I practically squeaked the word.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow then." Bix walked away and left my party. I was still in awe.


	6. I'm Totally Jealous

Part 6 – I'm Totally Jealous…

I was so excited to close the door after Becky, the last guest, had left. It was Saturday and I wanted to relax. I didn't want any more drama. I didn't want any more Amber. And as much as it pained me to say it, I didn't want any more Brenda.

Brenda and Amber had made us play 'Fess up, or Stress Out', which had every single one of us, by the end of the game, spill a deep dark secret. But it seemed weird, because all stories, no matter how deep, meant nothing to me. It didn't make me see the girls any different than I had already seen them.

Darla, I had already seen as sneaky. Last night, I found out that when she was little, her uncle threatened her family, so they ran away, changing all of their names. Apparently, her name was really Allison Ray. Also Tammy, I had already seen as falsely happy. It's impossible for a sixteen year old to be _that_ happy. She actually only moved to Baltimore because her old house in Ohio was burnt down, her sister going with it. Now her parents are thinking of separating. Doesn't that suck?

The party was way too intense. It was hard to control my hyperventilating all night. The whole time, I couldn't wait for everyone to go home. I had never felt so uncomfortable at a party before…

I wanted to go back to sleep as soon as Becky left. I laid down on my bed, in hope to fall asleep. It felt as though as soon as my head touched the pillow, I was woken up. That probably would've been because my dad was downstairs calling for me. I had a phone call.

Quickly, I ran down the stairs and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Shelley!" It was Lou Ann. "You'd never believe what just happened!"

I rolled my eyes. "What happened, Lou Ann?"

I would've bet a million dollars that… "I.Q. just asked me out!"

"Oh… Cool. Congratulations…" I wondered how fake I sounded.

"Yeah, apparently he and Bix were talking about it last night as they were leaving, and Bix was gonna talk to you about going on some sort of mega-date. Like, you guys and us, then Brenda and Joey, and Brad and Noreen. Are you in? Everyone else already is."

"But you like, just left, how did all of this happen already?" I asked, confused.

Lou Ann giggled. "Phone calls."

I sighed. "Alright, fine, I'm in."

"Yay!" Lou Ann squealed. "I love you!"

"So where _exactly_ are we going?"

"Just down the street from your house to that new club."

"Oh…alright. See you then?"

"Actually, I was just wondering…" Lou Ann began. Here we go. "My mom is visiting your mom tomorrow, cause they wanna chill or whatever, so I was wondering if maybe I can come over, too?"

"Oh, yeah! Of course. I knew that! Um, actually, Bren's mom is coming over too, so I'll probably invite her anyway. Of course, what time are you coming at, then?"

"Probably around noon. We're going at around 9 o'clock, alright?"

"Sure. I'm gonna go. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Shell! I'll call I.Q. and tell him!"

That was that. I.Q. and Lou Ann are going on dates now. Soon they'd be together, and everyone could guess it. Did it hurt me? Well, no, actually. It didn't. I'm dating Bix now. I'm dating the guy who I've practically been in love with for almost three months now. I was happy for Lou Ann. She's loved him since she was eight years old. She got what she deserved. She'll get her happy ending. We both will. It's what we both deserve: To be happy with someone we really love.

It was only 3 hours later that there was a ring at the doorbell. My brother-in-law, Jacob, answered the door. "Hi, can I help you?"

"Is Shelley home?" The visitor asked.

"Who's visiting?"

"Oh, my name's Brenda."

"Well, hello, Brenda. I'm Jake."

"Oh, you're the brother-in-law! Well, I need to see Shelley."

"Sure, one minute." Here comes the breaking of vocal cords… "Shelley! Brenda's here for you!" he shouted.

I scurried down the stairs. "Brenda, what're you doing here?"

"Shelley, we have to talk desperately." She pulled me up to Kathy's old bedroom, and out onto the balcony. Brenda sat against the railing. "Well, sit."

Pulling my dress down a bit, I saw down next to my friend. "What is it?"

"Okay, well I'm not one hundred per cent sure that you know yet, but you _have_ heard about I.Q. and Lou Ann, right?" Brenda wondered.

I nodded my head. "Yep."

"Okay… I just came over to see how you're doing."

"Why would you need to do that?"

"Shell…"

I was still confused. "I don't understand, Bren."

Brenda rolled her eyes. "Come _on_! How jealous are you now?"

"I'm not jealous."

"Really? I say that's bull. Look, Shelley…How many boyfriends have you had?"

I started to count on my fingers. "Four and a half."

"How many have you actually loved?"

It took me a while to admit. "…One."

"Yeah, and you can't tell me that I.Q. wasn't that one. So that _also_ means you can't tell me that you aren't even _jealous_… I mean, come _on_, Shell. You guys broke up—what?—3 months ago? This has to be bothering you right now."

"And if it's not…?"

"Then you have no soul."

"So, what's your point? I mean, Brenda, we both know that it's clear to the world that you, yourself, have no soul."

Brenda glared at me. "And why is that?"

"You are…you're _pregnant!_" I stated the obvious. "You haven't showed a _trace_ of feeling about it."

"I cried, Shelley. I cried, and you know I did. I cried for you. How do you think that shows nothing?"

"Well, why did you shed that single, one tear? Because you'd be in pain, and agony for the next nine months of your life?"

Brenda didn't answer.

"Brenda, screw the next nine months. What about after that? I mean…I know your mom, you bet your ass she'll make you keep the kid. So now think about, after that, the next eighteen, nineteen years of your life. You'll have a kid that you'll have to take care of. Your mom won't help you."

"Oh my God…"

"What?"

Brenda stood up. "I don't want to think about that."

I turned to face her. "You don't want to think about what?"

She turned back to face me and she was crying. "I don't want to think about this baby being an actual thing. I just want to think of my pregnancy as a punishment for being a stupid, irresponsible person. I don't want to think of having any living thing taking shelter in me. You don't think that every night I go home and have to listen to Brad being a jackass that I don't feel anything? That I don't wanna…run into my room and cry my eyes out? I can't, because I'm too freaked out to hear my parents say, 'I'm disappointed in you, Brenda.' Because I don't think I have that in me. Just don't make me think of that!"

I could feel the tears running down my cheeks as well. Brenda sat down against the doors to my sister's bedroom. She took a deep breath. "There you go. That's the truth.

"Okay…" I said. "Well let me tell you the truth…I'm totally jealous." Wow. I didn't believe the words until I said them. I knew it was the truth.


	7. If I Get A Hickey Please Dont Have A Cow

Part 7 – If I Get A Hickey, Please Don't Have A Cow

Sunday arrived quickly, thank goodness. There was only one problem: None of us have plucked up the courage to ask our parents to even go. Lou Ann had nothing to worry about. Her mom, Sarah, was the coolest, and she trusted Lou more than anything. Agatha might let Brenda go, only because she's cool enough to let Joey sleep over, and kick Brad out of the house. However, if Brenda ever decides to finally tell her parents about her irresponsibility, then her mom would never let her go. My mom, forget it. She would never let me. That's why…I'm gonna ask my dad instead!

Lou Ann and Brenda arrived with their mothers at around noon, just as Lou Ann had told me, with Sarah and Agatha. Sarah and Agatha sat down with my mom at the kitchen table, as Lou Ann, Brenda and I went upstairs to pick out what we were going to wear, and how we were going to do our makeup, of course.

Brenda and I sat on my bed as Lou Ann rummaged through my closet. "So, should I wear a dress, or a skirt…?"

"I'm wearing pants," I decided.

"I'm going with a dress," Brenda announced.

"Anyone know what Noreen's wearing?" Lou wondered.

"No idea," Brenda shrugged. "Probably something pink." She rolled her eyes.

I tried to remember what she had told me. "I'm pretty sure she's wearing that pink and black dress she has."

"Alright," Lou Ann said. She pulled out one of my favourite green poofy skirts. "Can I wear this one?"

"Sure, go ahead. I'm pretty sure I have the matching shirt in my second drawer." I pointed over to my dresser.

"Thanks, Shell." Lou Ann rummaged through my second drawer, until she reached a lighter green t-shirt that looked as though it would be incredibly tight for any of us. "What the hell is this?"

"Uh… You wanna maybe go and get one, instead?"

"Yes, please."

Brenda took her mom's car and drove us to our favourite clothing store, A.C.P. A.C.P. had all the cutest clothes, played the best music, and had the coolest employees. Actually, Doreen and Becky both worked there, so we got discounts every time they were working.

"Hey, guys!" Becky shouted, once seeing us. She finished folding a dark blue spaghetti strap shirt and scurried over to us. She gave us each a hug. "What would you like me to cut prices on today?"

"We just wanted a couple of random things, so we're just gonna browse."

"Okay, just let me know if you need anything." Becky left, smiling.

"Hey, Lou, how about this one?" Brenda wondered. She lifted a similar green shirt that looked like it was quite loose.

"I like it." Lou Ann ripped the shirt out of Brenda's hands. "I'm gonna go try this on." Lou left our sight, and Brenda started to ignore me quickly, keeping to herself, looking through a group of dresses.

"This one would look nice on you," I said, pointing to a cute, blue spaghetti dress. "That would look really nice on you."

"Yup." Brenda still hadn't looked at me. "I, uh… I told my mom about it."

"What'd she say?" I asked.

"That it's my responsibility to care for the child all by myself," Brenda shrugged. "That's about it. It was my dad that really got me, though. I thought he was about to cry. He told me he was disappointed in me, and that I should've known when to say no. He said he thought I was better than that." She picked up the dress I had pointed out and pressed it against herself. "You're right, this looks great. I think I'm gonna go and try it on." Brenda slumped off to the dressing rooms as well.

I walked over to the accessories table, and searched through the earrings. I picked up a really cute pair of hanging, diamond covered earrings that would look so cute with the outfit I had chosen to wear. I looked up at the manager, Heidi. I knew Heidi because of how often I had gone shopping here with Brenda and Tammy. "Hey Heid?"

The beautiful blond looked up at me. "Yes?"

"Imagine these earrings with a simple black outfit. Long pants, short sleeves, small heels. How would these look?" I held the earrings up against my ears.

"They'd look pretty good…" Heidi looked away for just a moment. "Hold on one second, alright?" She arrived back in only a minute with a shorter, silver hanging pair. "These would look better. They aren't even being sold yet, so don't tell anyone I'm doing this, okay? Just take them; I'll pay for them later."

"Oh, no, don't worry about it, I have money here!"

"For all the money you've given us, I owe you something," Heidi assured. "This place is overpriced anyway, so I could give you about 10 pairs of real diamond earrings for all the extra cash you've thrown away here."

"Thanks a lot, Heid."

I turned around and Brenda and Lou Ann were in their cute clothes. "Bingo!"

We walked past Sarah, Agatha and my mom with our bags in hand.

"What'd you get, girls?" Sarah asked. She turned to face us, flipping her long red hair out of her face.

"Clothes," Lou answered.

"Let's see," Sarah demanded.

We showed off our new items.

"All very cute, girls, believe me…" mom said, "but what's the big occasion?" My mom hadn't seen me spend so much money since two years ago, probably, when I was spending all of my grade eight graduation money. I guess now I wouldn't be able to ask my dad first…

Brenda scooted between Lou Ann and I in order for us all to be facing our own mothers directly. "You first!" She pushed me forward.

In shock, I threw the words out of my mouth. "Mom, can we please go out to that n—"

"Stop!" My mom shouted. She never even let's me finish.

"Um, you next!" Brenda breathed to Lou Ann. Lou Ann pushed Brenda forward instead, causing her to try on her own mom. "Mom?"

"Don't!" Agatha warned, sternly.

Brenda stepped back slowly and looked over at Lou Ann. We all knew Lou Ann's mom would at least let her _ask_. "Mom, can we go to that new dance club?"

"No!"

"But ma!" I yelled. The three of us prepared to beg and whine.

"Stop!" My mom repeated.

"Stop telling me what to do," I sang.

"Don't!" Agatha already knew what was coming up.

"Don't treat me like a child of two-oo!" Brenda demanded.

"No!" Sarah shouted, already guessing that Lou would try the same thing on her.

Lou Ann was nervous. "I know that you want what's best…"

"Please!" Brenda and I begged.

"But mother please…"

"Give it a rest!" We all shouted.

"Stop!"

"Don't!"

"No!"

"Please!"

"Stop!"

"Don't!"

"No!"

"Please!"

"Stop!"

"Don't!"

"No!"

"Please! Mama, I'm a big girl now!"

Lou Ann stepped forward to beg first. "Once upon a time when I was just a kid, you never let me do just what the older kids did, but lose that laundry list of what you won't allow!"

"Cause mama, I'm a big girl now!"

I continued. "Once upon a time I played with childhood toys, but now I'd rather play around with teenage boys! So if I get a hickey, please don't have a cow!"

"Cause mama I'm a big girl now."

The floor then belonged to Brenda. "Ma, I gotta tell you that without a doubt, I get my best dancing lessons from you. You're the one who taught me how to twist and shout, because you shout non-stop and you're so twisted too! Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

"Once I used to fidget cause I just sat home," Lou Ann sang. "But now I'm just like Gidget and I gotta get to Rome! So say…"

"Arrivederci!" I shouted, waving at my mom.

"Toodle-loo!" Lou Ann rang.

"And ciao!" Brenda stated.

"Cause mama, I'm a big girl now!"

"Stop!"

"Don't!"

"No!"

"Please!"

"Stop!"

"Don't!"

"No!"

"Please!"

"Stop!"

"Don't!"

"No!"

"Please! Mama, I'm a big girl now!"

"Hey mama, say, mama…" Lou and I said together.

Brenda went solo. "Once upon a time I was a shy, young thing. Could barely walk and talk so much as dance and sing. But let me hit that stage, I wanna take my bow!"

Brenda joined me for a moment to sing, "Cause mama, I'm a big girl now!"

That's where Lou Ann started using her pipes. "Whoa, oh, oh, oh oh! Once upon a time I used to dress up Ken, but now that I'm a woman I like bigger men. And I don't need a Barbie doll to show me how!"

"Cause mama, I'm a big girl now!" We all sang. "Ma, you always taught me what was right from wrong, and now I'm just gonna give it a try. Mama, I've been in the nest for far too long, so please give a push and mama, watch me fly!"

"Watch me fly!" I sang loudly, holding a long note.

"Show off…" They muttered.

I chuckled. "Someday I will meet a man you won't condemn, and we will have some kids and you can torture them! But let me be a star before I take that bow!"

"Cause mama, I'm a big girl now!"

Sarah, Agatha and my mom all looked at each other. "Where are you going?" Sarah asked.

"Just to the club down the street," Brenda explained.

"Who else is going?" Agatha wondered.

"Us three, Noreen, Brad, Bix, I.Q., and Joey," I told her.

"And how long will you be staying out until?" my mom wondered.

"Nine o'clock until whenever, Maddie," Lou Ann said.

"Three a.m." Sarah said, staring Lou down.

"One a.m. for you, Brenda, you need your sleep," Agatha demanded.

"And for me mom?" I wondered.

"It doesn't matter." Gee, if my mom doesn't care, why didn't she just let me go in the first place?"

"You guys are the best!" Bren shouted.


	8. He Loves Me?

Part 8 – …He Loves Me?

It's Wednesday: Only a few days after our very first date. We're already on our second. He's taking me bowling along with Brad and Noreen. It should be fun. I mean, Noreen and I could totally kick the guys' asses.

"What's your shoe size?" the working woman asked me.

"I'm a seven."

The woman looked down at my feet. "Really? Well…okay." She reached into the cubby that said '8' on it and took a pair out.

"I'm a seven," I repeated.

"Uh-huh. Here."

I took the shoes and went back to our lane. "I hate her," I said, bluntly.

"Who, why, what?" Brad asked.

"Twice. Twice I tell her I'm a size seven, so she looks at my feet and gives my an eight. My feet aren't _that_ big looking, are they?"

Noreen chuckled. "No. It's just that they're so skinny, they look longer than they really are."

"Here, give them to me," Bix demanded.

I handed the shoes to him and he stomped off to the counter. Noreen, Brad and I all leaned in on what he was about to say to the woman.

"C'mon man, my girlfriend's feet aren't _that_ big; now give us a size seven," he commanded.

My eyes had never gotten so wide.

I entered Brenda's bedroom, in the knowledge that Tammy had been visiting her.

"He called me his girlfriend," I said, very blunt.

Tammy and Brenda's eyes became almost as wide as mine had and they began smiling. "Wha—Who—Wha—"

"That's what I said."

"Okay," Brenda began, taking a deep breath. "Tammy, unplug the telephone, Shelley, unplug the television, and I'll go downstairs and grab the essentials."

We both did what she commanded and she later came upstairs with a bag of chips, and a big bottle of cola. "We are officially prepared. Shelley, explain, _please_."

I sat down next to Brenda on her bed, and began to explain. "See, this asshole shoe girl thought I was lying to her about my shoe size, so she gave me a size up, and I told Bix, and he goes up to the asshole and he's like, 'My girlfriend's feet aren't that big…'."

Tammy screeched. "Aw! That's so random!"

"Of all places he could've called you that…" Brenda thought.

"I know! But he did. Isn't it awesome?"

The three of us chuckled.

"But that was at the start of the date…what happened during?" Brenda asked.

"Well, me and No paired up against the guys, and we kicked their asses, obviously…But we never really talked about anything. Oh, but Bix did bring just one other thing up, but that was about it. Did you guys know Paulie and Vick were back on?"

"Oh my, God…" Tammy muttered. "Seriously, they need to stop wasting their lives and just _pick already_!"

"No kidding," Brenda agreed. "Oh, hey, Tams, do you know what this means, with I.Q. and Lou now, and Shell and Bix?"

"That I am a single loner?"

"Well, that, but…Fender?"

"Nuh-uh."

"C'mon, Tams!" I encouraged,

"I can't stand him."

"Or can you?"

"I can't. Trust me guys, I don't want to be with Fender."

"Alright, whatever…"

"Amber, Tammy and Shelley, come here," Velma demanded. Great, what did Tams and I do to her precious little angel now? Tammy and I rolled our eyes to each other and walked over to Velma. "Alright girls. As you know, May's Negro Day is slowly approaching, and we need a few performers to perform a song for the dancers. I wanted you three to perform the song."

Okay, is Mrs. V. okay? Why would she pick Tammy and I to dance with Amber? Perhaps she picked out of a hat, or thought she'd be nice to us because it was both of our birth month or something? I don't know, it's Mrs. V.

"You three used to be all the rage with the kids until Tracy joined the council, and we need to steal your thunder back," Velma told us. "So the three of you, as well as piggy and Bix need to come here tomorrow for a rehearsal, and that's all the time you're getting before the airing, which will be on…Tuesday the twenty ninth. But, we'll be taping it the day prior to that. So arrive here tomorrow at 6 o'clock a.m. and be prepared." Mrs. V. walked away.

Tammy and I turned to each other and screeched, excitedly.

"It's not fair!" I shouted. "_I_ wanna dance with him!"

"Shelley, calm down," Tammy said. "He's just dancing with her."

"But that's the point!"

"One more rehearsal before school, guys, come on!" Velma yelled.

Tammy, Amber and I made a V shape out of ourselves, Amber standing in front, of course.

"And…cue music!"

"Hey look out for the moving van driving down our streets," we sang. "You better lock up your man before he meets…"

"Stop it…" Tammy muttered to me. I was supposed to look happy, but I couldn't help watching Bix and Tracy's rehearsal.

Mrs. V. sighed. "You're off time, precious."

Amber stopped dancing and stormed over to her mom. "It's not fair, mommy. I'm not getting enough spotlight."

I rolled my eyes and approached the two of them. "Oh, you're not? You're already up front. Would you rather us be invisible?"

"Don't be ridiculous, fat ass, that's not the point," Amber moaned. "The point is that they shouldn't have their own solo lines. That should be left for me, up front. Oh, and their faces are shown more than mine. My back is facing the camera too much. I think I should turn around first."

"But if you turn around first, then you'll be getting attention first. All the attention would be left for Tammy."

"Alright, so here's a thought: Just let me sing it, and kick them out."

"Here's another thought: Stop being a whiny bitch and take what you can get. We're here to help you look good in case if you make a screw up by yourself and embarrass yourself in front of everyone!" I hissed.

Amber and Velma walked away from me as Bix approached me. "Calm down. Take a deep breath. Sit down. Have a root beer. Now, what's wrong, Shell?"

"It's not fair!" I repeated. "I wanted to dance with you this Negro Day."

"Well…We were both chosen to do something. I'm proud of you. I mean you're proud of me, aren't you?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Then don't get all jealous…even though it makes me feel special," Bix put on a huge smile. He kissed me softly on the lips. "I love you, okay. No one else. Just you. A dance won't change that." Bix walked away, grinning.

"…He loves me?"


	9. The Tears Were Genuine

I realized recently that on my first chapter, I forgot to include the disclaimer, so I'm gonna do that too.

I do not own any of the characters or song lyrics that are used in this fanfiction. They are the property of the guys who created Hairspray, although at the time, I totally forget all their names. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

* * *

Part 9 – The Tears Were Genuine

It's only been a few days since our rehearsal. It was now Wednesday. Negro Day would be in 13 days, and this one would be the last one of the season, meaning it has to be spectacular.

I figured I'd go talk to Bix about getting us together with Tammy, Tracy and Amber for a little group rehearsal, or something. So I decided to go the other way around to my lunch spot to meet him at his. Bix usually eats alone, because he doesn't like to eat with Link and Jesse. I don't understand why though. Something about feeling left out of the crowd.

I had never actually seen him eating alone or whatever, so this was a totally new experience for me. Actually, y'know, it was an experience I had wished was saved for after I got to kick him were it hurt and dumped him…

I dropped my tray. Why, you may ask? One week and a half. We've been dating for a week and a half, and what do I see? He's sitting there, making out with, who else, but Vicki. Huh, I see how it is. It wasn't that they were just making out. It's that, after they did, they cuddled up together like they had been together for years…ugh. That's where I didn't know what else to do but run. Just run back to my lunch spot and tell my friends about the betrayal, so that they could help me calm myself down.

"Where's Brenda?" I asked after only seeing Brad sitting against the brick ledge.

"I don't know, why?" Brad wondered, standing up.

I started hyperventilating. I couldn't breathe. "It's just…The…Huh…Hubazuh…And the…They…GAH!"

"Shelley, what's wrong?"

I just started crying, and buried my head into Brad's shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him. He patted my back once. "Umm…Shelley?"

"Bastard!" I shouted as I punched Brad's back repetitively.

"Ouch."

"No, not you." I didn't want to let Brad go. "Bix."

"What did that asshole do now?"

"Why don't you go ask Vicki? Y'know what, never mind, that would mean his tongue would have to come out of her mouth, so let's not bother them."

"Oh…Shelley…" Brad didn't let go of my arms, but he stopped hugging me. "You don't need him if he's gonna do that to you."

"I'm not losing him yet," I said, very confident. "I'm going to fight until he tells that little bitch off!" I started sobbing and crying into Brad's chest.

He started petting my hair like a dog. "Don't worry, Shell…I'll make the pain go away." He pushed me off of him for just a moment. "Wanna do something after school?"

I smiled at him. "Yes, yes I do."

xxx

After school, Brad and I met in front of the school. "Just wanna go to my house?" he asked. "But, I'm pretty sure Bren is headed to Joey's…"

"That's fine," I shrugged. "Just get me away from…"

That's when Bix jetted up to me. "Hey, Shelley, did you wanna chill and do something?"

I glared angry at him. "I have other plans," I said, very blunt.

"Oh…well what're you doing tomorrow?"

"I have more plans," I lied. "I'm gonna be hanging out with Brad all week, so, maybe we can hang out this weekend?" Or maybe not.

Bix bowed his head. "Oh…alright. I'll see you tomorrow then." He gave me a soft kiss on the lips and trudged away. I actually felt a little bit bad…

"Wanna get goin', Shell?" Brad asked.

I could feel my eyes watering up. "Sure."

xxx

Brad and I sat up in his bedroom, chilling out, listening to some music. Brad stuffed some chips in his mouth. "Okay, this is just gonna come out of my mouth because I like to visualize this kinda stuff…"

"Is this gonna be one of your perverted girl-on-girl questions?" I asked, laughing.

"Yes, it is," Brad answered, all joking aside. I rolled my eyes as he continued. "So let's just say that you…swung that way, hypothetically…or not, because I'm totally cool if you really do. Anyway, so if you _did_, who do you think you'd wanna get it on with?"

"Oh God, Brad, why do you need to ask?" I wondered. "Wouldn't it just be better for you to imagine me making out with the girl's _you_ think I'd be hot with, instead of me picking probably the least mentally satisfying girl for you to picture me with?"

There was a pause. "Good point." We both laughed. "So, are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, actually." I had spent the past 4 hours with Brad, and I had never been able to connect with him like this before.

"If you ask me, it's ridiculous for you to be crying over Bix," Brad explained. "He's not even worthy of you. You deserve someone so much better."

See how supportive of me he was? "You're right, I shouldn't be crying over him. He's an asshole, and he should fall off of a cliff."

"A cliff that would lead him into the gap between dimensions," he added. We both laughed. "Want some chips?" Could he be any funnier? I shook my head, so he carried on. "Anyway, if you ask me, you were fake-crying so that you could find it in you to feel sorry for yourself."

I giggled at his ridiculous opinion. "No, the tear's were genuine. It hurt. I felt betrayed."

"BRAD!" Dom shouted from downstairs.

"Aw, crap…" Brad muttered. "I'm might die down there, so if I don't come back, will you at least dump Bix for me?"

I chuckled. "Sure."

Brad smirked at me and ran down the stairs. This had to have been about Jesse planting the tree in Brad's neighbour's backyard and nourished it for the few months that they were out of town. I knew all along Brad would be blamed…

On a happier note, how cute was Brad? I had never been able to talk to him and connect this much in all the 14 years I've known him. It was _weird_… Not like I was getting a little crush on him or anything…I think?


	10. Maybe Not For Long

I apologize for this chapter being so short. They might be like that for a while...

* * *

Part 10 – Maybe Not For Long...

Over that week, things seemed to getting a lot better. Bix openly flirted with Vicki, and Brad and I got a lot closer than we already were. We hung out for hours every day after school, and I even decided to hang out with him over Bix that weekend. All jokes aside, I totally had a crush on Brad, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had a crush on me, too. Just the way we'll flirt every now and then…I even think I.Q. is starting to get a little jealous of him. I doubt Bix has noticed though, since Vicki and he seem to be glued at the hip recently.

I actually think Bix knows that I know about him and Vicki. The more he flirted with Vicki, the more I flirted with Brad, and then he would flirt with Vicki even more. Still, neither of us had the guts to tell each other off. It's not that I was totally over Bix, I still liked him. I was just angry at him. And I still fought, no matter what, even though it seems very apparent that I was losing to the extreme.

None of my friends knew that Bix had made out with another girl, except for Brad, of course.

For those curious minds out there, Brad totally _did_ get busted for the whole tree thing. He didn't even get in trouble though; the neighbour's just kept pestering him for an apology. He didn't give them one, because he kept telling them that it wasn't even him. They refused to believe, until he called Jesse to get him to fess up, and he finally did.

Negro day was in two days, and the group of us were rehearsing in the studio before school started. Bix and Tracy were discussing their moves, while Amber bickered on about how she deserved all the spotlight, once again.

I stepped away from her rants for a moment and joined the rest of the group. Brad approached me and put his lips as close as possible to m ear. I got chills for a moment, until he started whispering. "So, how long are you gonna stay with him?"

"Until he tells me," I whispered back. "I'm not even sure that what I saw was real, or maybe it was just some weird thing where his brain spontaneously combusted temporarily, and Vicki came onto him or something… I like to have high hopes."

Brad bowed his head. "Oh…alright."

"Why is it bugging you so much?"

"I just…think you should be with someone else."

"You got anyone in mind?" I chuckled.

"Yeah, actually, but I ain't telling soon. I like to see if I end up being right. Knowing you, you could spoil your chances just to make sure I'm wrong."

We both laughed. I walked away after I noticed Tammy waving for me to come back to them.

It was Negro Day. Tammy, Amber and I taped our dance yesterday, and it was—surprisingly—perfectly smooth. Everyone was happy with the way it went. But today, Bix and Tracy would be performing their live Negro Day performance as we all stood in a semi-circle around them and watched.

As soon as the show ended, Brad and I collected our bags and walked back to his place. We chilled up in his bedroom again and worked on our homework.

After a while, I just decided to throw it out there. "I don't like Bix anymore. Not one bit…"

"Finally! Shit, Shelley, I thought it was gonna take you forever."

I laughed. "Yeah, well I think I've moved on from Bix."

I was finally able to catch his attention to the max as he raised his head completely from his book and stared me in the eyes. "Oh yeah? To who?"

"First of all, it's actually, 'To _whom_'. Second of all, I think you." So I just kinda threw it out there.

Brad smiled. "What?"

"I know, totally weird, right? Just thought I'd let you know, in case you notice things start getting weird whenever I'm around you."

"Shelley, look," Brad began. "You have Bix… Maybe not for long, but you have Bix. And, in case you've forgotten, I have Noreen. I—I'm sorry, Shell."

I shrugged. "Did I ask for anything from you? And don't worry, it's not like I'm gonna get all P.O'd."

"What the _hell_?" Brenda asked, entering his room. "Shelley, what the hell just came outta your mouth? Ewww!" She started flailing around the room. "That's gross! Gah! Ew! I have to clean my ears with soap! Ewww!" Ah, crap.

"Bren, calm down, chill out," I demanded. "Not like I've broken up with Bix or anything, yet." I padded her on the shoulder, grabbed my backpack and left.


	11. You Cannot Stop the Rhythm of Two Hearts

Part 11 – You Cannot Stop the Rhythm of Two Hearts in Love

"You look so cute!" Brenda greeted, meeting all of us backstage. "I wish I could've looked cute!"

"You always look cute anyway." Still, I took the time to look down at my rosy pink, flower print dress. "Look at Lou Ann, then look me in the eye and tell me that she does not look the prettiest you have ever seen her." Lou Ann had let her hair loose, showing off her gorgeous curls. She wore a bright yellow dress.

Brenda's eyes wandered off to our redheaded friend, and then met back with mine. "Oh my, God."

"I know, right!"

"This is so exciting! I think this might be the year that Amber loses, for real."

"Maybe, but thins will probably go the same, unless Tracy shows up, but that'd be insane. She'd end up in jail."

"Yeah…" Brenda thought. "I'll see you from the front row." My friend skipped off.

xxx

I stood there, keeping the biggest smile I possibly could as Corny opened the envelope. Amber was right over his shoulder, being annoying, just like usual. I always got nervous, although no need to, because we all had a pretty good idea on who would win for a fourth consecutive year.

"It is my…obligation to announce that Amber Von Tussle…" Corny began. Please Corny, finish off the sentence with '…is about to be bitch-slapped in the face'.

"…Is about to get out-danced!" Everyone turned their heads around to see where the voice had come from. Tracy stepped out of a giant Hairspray can just behind me. Everyone was smiling at her. Music started playing, and you could tell that _someone_ was gonna start singing.

Tracy approached Amber angrily. "You can't stop an avalanche as it races down the hill. You can try to stop the seasons, girl, but you know you never will…" Amber stomped her foot and ran to Link to pout. I love Tracy, right now. That is all. She stood still and danced solo. "And you can try to stop my dancing feet but I just cannot stand still! 'Cause the world keep spinning round and round, and my hearts keeping time to the speed of sound, I was lost till I heard the drums and I found my way…"

Before I knew it, Link was onstage with her, singing in sync with her. "'Cause you can't stop the beat! Ever since this old world began a woman found out if she shook it she could shake up a man, and so I'm gonna shake and shimmy it the best that I can today. 'Cause you can't the motion of the ocean or the sun in the sky, you can wonder if you wanna but I'll never ask why." By now, everyone was enjoying dancing along with them, and Amber had stomped off to the back of the stage. "And if you try to hold me down I'm gonna spit in your eye and say…You can't stop the beat!"

With a all the applause, you couldn't hear what Link and Tracy were saying to each other, but you could hear him yelling for Inez to come on stage. They started dancing for a while, until he left her solo. But, may I just say that that girl could _dance_.

After a while of the Corny Collins Council freaking out due to the shocking surprise of Tracy's presence, Penny and that Seaweed guy ran out onto stage, singing. "You can't stop the beat! Ever since we first saw the light, a man and woman like to shake it on a Saturday night. And so I'm gonna shake and shimmy it with all of my might today. 'Cause you can't stop the motion of the ocean or the rain from above, you can try to stop the paradise we're…dreaming of. But you cannot stop the rhythm of two hearts in love to stay. You can't stop the beat!" Seaweed and Penny did a little smooching.

Everyone calmed down for a moment to be able to hear Corny, but I was so excited that my ears were ringing. I couldn't hear anything; I was freaking out so much. Brad tapped my shoulder from behind me. I turned to him, so he could say, "Chill, Shell, you're shaking up a storm." He laughed at me, so I rolled my eyes and turned away.

The only thing I was able to hear Corny say was something about _Inez_ winning the title. Seriously? She got enough votes to beat Amber all in five minutes? Intense. Velma started yelling at Corny for a minute as the crowd went wild.

"This also makes you the lead dancer on the Corny Collins Show," Corny announced. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Corny Collins Show is now and forever officially integrated!"

Out of nowhere, a plump woman appeared as if from nowhere and started singing another verse of the song. Perhaps she was Tracy's mother? "You can't stop my happiness, 'cause I like the way I am. And you just can't stop my knife and fork when I see a Christmas ham. So if you don't like the way I look, well I just don't give a damn!"

Everyone started singing along with her. "'Cause the world keeps turning round and round and my hearts keeping time to the speed of sound, I was lost till I heard the drums and I found my way. 'Cause you can't stop the beat. Ever since this old world began a woman found out if I shook it I could shake up a man, and so I'm gonna shake and shimmy it the best that I can today. 'Cause you can't stop the motion of the ocean or the sun in the sky, you can wonder if you wanna but I'll never ask why. And if you try to hold me down I'm gonna spit in your eye and say…You can't stop the beat!" She started bumping her butt, as everyone stared at him like she was a freak.

After a while, Motormouth came on stage in front of us and took _her_ turn. "Oh, oh, oh, you can't stop today!"

"No!" we all shouted.

"As it comes, speeding down the tracks."

"Ooh, ooh, child yes!"

"Child yesterday is history!"

"Be gone!"

"And it's never coming back!"

"Look ahead!"

"'Cause tomorrow is a brand new day and it don't know white from black. 'Cause the world keeps turning round and round and my hearts keeping time to the speed of sound, I was lost till I heard the drums and I found my way. 'Cause you can't stop the beat! Ever since we first saw the light, a man and woman like to shake it on a Saturday night. And so I'm gonna shake and shimmy it with all of my might today. You can't stop the motion of the ocean or the rain from above; you can try to stop the paradise we're…dreaming of. But you cannot stop the rhythm of two hearts in love to stay. 'Cause you can't stop the beat!"

Everyone all sang the last bit together, as we all still continued to dance. "Ever since we first saw the sun, a man and woman like to shake it when the day is done. So I'm gonna shake and shimmy it and have some fun today. 'Cause you can't stop the motion of the ocean or the rain from above, you can try to stop the paradise we're…dreaming of. But you cannot stop the rhythm of two hearts in love to stay. Cause you can't stop the beat! You can't stop the beat! You can't stop the beat! You can't stop the beat!"

Lou Ann, Tammy and I all started flailing around with each other, freaking out about how exciting this was. It was then and there that another…quite exciting happening occurred. I was tapped lightly on the shoulder in the same way I had been last time. I turned around, and Brad just kissed me. It wasn't bad, if I do say so myself. Once we separated, I noticed that Bix and Noreen had both been watching us. Bix and I smiled at each other, knowing that at least now we could both win.

Brad and I turned back to each other and kissed again. This time, I could feel him smiling in it. It was so perfect. I think I started drifting off for a bit, actually. That was until I could hear Brenda from the first row cheering the two of us on, freaking out about it.

xxx

"Okay, everybody, the show was absolutely amazing yesterday!" Corny said, greeting the next day. Actually, the season was over until September, but we always have little parties the day after the pageant. "Maybelle and I have a little discussing to do with you all, though."

Everyone was very attentive as Corny spoke. "We've come to a conclusion that, unfortunately we _will_ have to segregate everyone on the show again."

All of the Negroes groaned, so Maybelle spoke. "This was actually _my_ idea," she admitted. "After thinking about it, having this many people on the show would confuse the audience, and we'd have to write an all, new theme song and everything."

"We're still gonna keep Negro Day, however," Corny assured. "And we will have it every second Tuesday, not just once a month, okay?"

That confused me. "Okay, so if you guys didn't wanna change the stupid song at all, what are we gonna do with the line, 'And once a month we have our Negro Day'?"

Corny had an answer. "We'll change that to 'twice a month', okay?"

"I hope y'all are alright with this," Maybelle added. "I'm really sorry we gotta do this, but we don't have much of a choice."

"But I'm supposed to be lead dancer!" Inez pointed out.

"You'll be lead dancer every Negro Day, baby, I promise."

"So, who bumps up to head dancer?" Tammy asked.

"Okay, so here's the deal," Corny began. "I'm not sure as to how many of you heard, but last night, Velma was fired." Finally! "Anyway, I've decided to still allow Amber on the show, however…you, Amber, will be disqualified from the Miss Hairspray Pageant. You _had_ placed second, but you aren't the lead dancer anymore for these reasons." He carried on, not paying attention to Amber's gloominess. "Third place was held by Tracy. However, Tracy, I immensely apologize, but due to the amount of drama you've caused on the show, my manager doesn't want you on the show anymore, so we'll replace you with Mary, and you _will_ be allowed to visit us every Negro Day."

Tracy bowed her head. "Alright."

"But since Mary wasn't the one who got the votes, we'll have to move on to fourth place, and fourth place was Shelley." My eyes grew wide. Since I was 13 it had been my dream to be lead dancer on the station, but Amber always beat me to it. And now I was really head dancer…Wow.

I couldn't contain my smiles and giggling. "Thank you."


	12. Away

Part 12 – Away

_October 2nd, 1962: Dear Diary, _I began to write. _Brad called me early this morning. He has something _really_ important to tell me, I think… He's meeting me by the school so that we can go for a walk around the city, just the two of us. He said he wants to lose contact with everyone else and just be alone with me. It still confuses me, because that sounds romantic. Brad + Romantic = Miracle. _

_I keep thinking _maybe _he's gonna end things with me tonight. Maybe Brad—poor little promiscuous Brad—misses his freedom and multiple girlfriends back instead of…just me. Or maybe he just wants to take me out and do something special because tonight was our 5 month anniversary from the time when we got together? Whatever it is, just please say it's good!_

_--Shelley!_

xxx

It's seven o'clock. It was time for me to head out now. I didn't expect the walk to be _that_ long, so I didn't bring a sweater. It was going to rain tonight, but not until later. I slipped my sister's shoes on and left my house. It was getting darker earlier lately, and chillier earlier as well. You could tell that autumn was here.

Brad had been waiting for me when I arrived. I noticed him holding an umbrella, and he had a light jacket on over his shirt. Maybe he expected the walk to be a little bit longer than I did. He pecked me and we started walking down the street.

Neither of us spoke until about 5 minutes in. I felt a quick drop of rain. "It's drizzling," I pointed out.

"Are you cold?" Brad asked.

I shook my head, but I guess he noticed by the goose bumps that grew up my arms that I was lying. He chuckled and removed his jacket, placing it over my shoulders.

After a while, the drizzling turned into immense pouring, but he didn't even think to cover us with the umbrella that he had. Brad rubbed my arm and held onto my hand.

Brad was acting oddly quiet. His palm started getting sweaty and warm, despite the freezing wind and buckets of rain. It was alright, until it felt like I had just dunked my hand in smelly, disgusting water. I could tell it wasn't the rain, because it was really warm. I quickly let go and wiped my hand on my dress.

"Sorry," Brad muttered, wiping his own hand on his pants. He then put his arm around me, clinging tight to me. "Hey Shelley?" he asked after a while.

"Yeah?"

"I love you. I just wanted you to know that."

I leaned my head on his shoulder. "I love you, too."

After quite a bit of time, the rain toned down, so it was only spitting. It didn't make much of a difference though, because both of us were already soaked.

"Hey Shelley?" said Brad, once again.

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

I nodded, quite curiously. Something had to be wrong. Brad had never been so quiet, or nervous. He pulled us over to the wall of Mack's gym. I ringed my hair out, not that it made a difference.

"Shelley, I'm leaving you."

This…confused me. "What?"

"I'm leaving you," he repeated.

"Why?" My eyes started watering up.

"I'm not leaving _you_," he clarified. "Well, I kinda am, but I'm leaving all of you. I'm leaving."

"Where?" Cue the water works…

"Away." Brad wiped a tear off of my cheek. He grabbed onto my hand. "You'll only make it harder for me to leave by crying."

"Well then I'll keep crying!" I'm sure he could barely understand me through my tears and sobs. "You can't leave."

"I have to." Brad rubbed my finger with his thumb. He let go and simply walked away.

I've been heartbroken before, but never like this. The farther away Brad walked, the more numb I became. When his shady silhouette faded at last, my shaken legs, already weak from the iciness of the rain and wind, gave up and I just dropped there on the sidewalk.

I laid there for no more than two minutes. "Shelley?" I looked around for the faceless voice. "Shelley? It _is_ you! What're you doing?" I still unable to tell whose soft, male voice was talking to me. "Are you alright?"

The face of the voice was revealed when a small, male body knelt down next to my head and moved my drenched hair out of my face. It was Bix. "What's wrong with you?"

I let out a deep breath. "Who's what?" Bix didn't get an answer. "Alright, come on, I'm taking you home." Bix grabbed my hand and pulled me up with all his strength. I was leaning on him, making him carry all my dead weight.

"…gone…" I finally finished.

Bix raised his eyebrow. "You're going insane."

xxx

After a long walk home, I found myself back on my bed, covered in blankets, all alone.

I woke up later to a loud banging sound and found Brenda in my room, worn out. She was crying, and panting heavily. "Shelley, have you seen Brad?"

Suddenly, everything came back to me. I could see it all in my head, just like it was happening a milliong times over in my head. I felt a few tears drop. "He's gone…" I mumbled.

"What?" Brenda screeched.

"Brenda, he left us. Brad left us."

xxx

Bren and I entered the WYZT station. Both of us were still shaken by Brad's sudden disappearance. Where he left to was still a complete mystery.

"Hey, Bren, what're you doing here?" Corny asked.

"Shelley wanted me with her today," she responded weakly.

"Why?"

I started crying a bit, so I embraced Corny in a tight hug.

Brenda answered him. "We're gonna need to hold auditions for a new council member. One of the boys ran away without warning."

"So, who lef—?"

"I don't even care who they get to replace him!" I shouted. "Nobody will be Brad enough to…to ask how a month can have an idea, or wear a mustard and olive plaid shirt, or stuff his pants with cloth…"

"I just can't believe he didn't tell anybody but Shelley," Brenda whined.

"You call _that_ telling me? He said, 'I'm leaving', and then he ran away. No information."


	13. It Just Felt Right

Part 13 – It Just Felt Right

_Thursday, February 21, 1963: Dear Diary,_

_It's been 5 months now. Still no sign of Brad. People are starting to get worried, and even angry. I still dislike this new dance partner of mine. I resent the flu everyday for getting Alex Tucker sick instead of Rob Tucker. Rob doesn't dance well with me, and he hasn't gotten a smidge better. Also, thank goodness, Brenda's off mat-leave. She spent one month mothering Alyssa the best she could, and got back dancing with Fender today. We're having a party tomorrow to celebrate her return._

_We're celebrating tomorrow, because today we're celebrating the birthday of my _new_ crush. February 21st was the one day that made him feel self cautious. I can't wait for the party. It gives me for flirting time with him!_

_--Shelley!_

xxx

Brad's leaving affected everyone in some form or another. His hot friends like Link, Jesse and Sketch–Marcus is no more, I've finally caved—are lost without him. His more awesome friends like Joey, I.Q., Lou Ann, Tammy and Fender are going slightly insane. Everyone else is worried sick, including Amber. Brenda and I however, cry every day.

You know what makes things worse? I.Q. and Lou Ann are together, as are Tams and Fen—at last—and Brenda and Joey are still happily together as the cutest parents ever. That leaves me: Sad, lonely Shelley. Every day I fill with more hatred of my 'once was' true love.

The party today would be a blast. I arrived with Brenda and Joey, both of which just gave him some cash. I gave him the book that my father wrote that he couldn't wait to buy. It still hadn't been for sale _yet_, so my dad printed him out a first edition. It's totally his kind of book. It's called 'It'll Last Longer'. My dad was absolutely his favourite author, which was so cool.

xxx

The party was a blast, just like I said it would be. The birthday boy actually asked me to leave a little later. How exciting!

"How've you been?"

"Meh…"

"So…do you still love him?"

I shrugged. "Sorta, I guess."

"Well do you want to?"

"No," I sighed. "I just wanna…ugh, move on!"

Sketch smirked at me and grabbed my hand.

I left that party with a date with Sketch Johns.

xxx

_Monday, March 11, 1963: Dear Diary,_

_Sketch asked me to have dinner with his family tonight as his girlfriend. I totally had to ditch Becky that meant, and tomorrow was her birthday. I promised her I would chill with her tomorrow though, so I hope that made up for it._

_As for Sketch's family, I've met his mother before when she supervised for a class trip, and she's really nice. He told me his parent's aren't strict, and that that probably had to do with their age. His mom had turned 15 about a week before he was _born_, so he was the result of a Brenda/Joey incident. They were only 31 now. He has a little brother named Peter, who's only 7 years old now. Sketch warned me a zillion times to stay away from Peter though, because while everyone else's parents embarrass them, his brother embarrasses him._

_I can't wait to meet the Johns'!_

_--Shelley!_

xxx

I tried to dress as nice as possible. I wore my favourite dress with the yellow torso, thin black straps and a white skirt on it, covered by a flowery design.

My heart nearly stopped when Sketch opened the door and grabbed onto my hand. "Don't be nervous, Shell. My parents are cool."

He led me to the living room, where his parents were waiting for me. Sketch's mother was about the same height as me, with poofy, frizzy, curly auburn hair which reached her mid-back. She had the same glittering brown eyes as her son, and a similar nose. She smiled wide, grinning ear to ear at the sight of me.

Sketch's father, on the other hand, had short black hair, and had the same cute lips as Sketch. For a moment, I tried to debate on whether he was cuter than his son, but I barely decided against it. His dad was tall. Much taller than Sketch. Maybe even taller than I.Q. was. He had the same smirk as Sketch.

Sketch's mother approached me slowly. "You must be Shelley. My names Aubrey, it's great to meet you."

"It's great to meet you, too."

His dad then approached me and shook my hand. "Jay. It's so nice to know that you truly appreciate our stupid mistake."

I chuckled lightly. "Of course."

"Where's, uh, Pete?" Sketch asked.

"Oh, he's upstairs, he was waiting for Shelley, but he got bored," Aubrey said. "Why don't you go introduce them?"

Sketch grabbed my hand and ran me halfway upstairs before Aubrey yelled up to us, "Oh, and Sketch! Don't pretend to be up with your brother, actually making out for _too_ long, because dinner's almost ready."

When we were upstairs, he wrapped his arm around me and I whispered into his ear, "You have the coolest parents, _ever_!"

"I know," Sketch laughed. I was still in shock that his parents didn't call him Marcus. He opened a door, and right there in the opening stood a tiny, auburn haired child, staring at us, eyes wide. It actually kinda scared me.

"Uh, hey Pete," Sketch said, awkwardly. "This is Shelley."

"Get yourself out now before it's too late," Peter told me, very blunt.

I only stared at him confused, but I tried to ignore his 'warning'.

"Okay…" Sketch chuckled.

"Dinner's ready!" Aubrey yelled from downstairs.

"Already?" Sketch wondered out loud, looking at his watch. "Alright…"

Aubrey had made simple spaghetti, thank goodness, and I had a blast talking to the family. I found out Aubrey tamed pets for a living, and that she decided to do that after she wanted to learn how to tame Sketch when she was 16. I laughed hearing that. Jay on the other hand was a musician. He was in a band that had been growing in popularity lately, as the drummer.

Their dog, Bolt, often tried to eat my dinner, so Aubrey told me to just give him the leftovers. They were two of the nicest people I had ever met in my life, and Peter was adorable, but a little creepy.

Getting to know that family made me the happiest person in the world. I got to see pictures of Sketch from family activities that had happened, and it was all fun. I spent the whole night with them, and stayed up until 5 in the morning with them, just hanging out. I had never done anything like this with Brad…but I was able to connect so well with the Johns'. It just felt…right.


	14. Just Disappears One Day

This is the title part...Here's the deal with this chapter. This is possibly the best thing I have ever written in my life. Not the song part, that really sucked. But I wrote this part before I wrote any other part of my story, and I just couldn't wait to post it...So what did I do? I wrote Parts 9-13 all in one day, not taking my eyes off of the screen just to put this up...After reading it over again, it wasn't THAT spectacular...but still =D Enjoy!

* * *

Part 14 – Just Disappears One Day

"Crappy birthday to me," were my fist mumbling words in the morning, even before I first opened my eyes. In what world would anybody call my first birthday without Brad happy? It's been 7 months. No letters. No phone calls. No love…from either of us. I could honestly say: I _hate_ Brad.

When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the pink envelope sitting on the pillow next to my face. I read my name in cursive, so I sat up, and opened it carefully. Out came a folded paper which was decorated with glitter and pastel colours. The work of my sister-in-law, obviously.

My card actually made me feel a tad better. It was signed by my whole family. My nephews, my in-laws, my siblings and my parents.

'_Signed Kathy, Jacob and Michael – Don't stop dancing!'_ I guess that was…reassuring? '_Shelley Belly, the last of our children to turn 17! We love you! Mom and Dad!'_. Huh. Obviously written by dad. '_Matthew, Michelle and Jordan—Hope your day is super duper fun, Shelley!'_ Maybe Michelle just wrote all of this… That was what I thought at first.

I looked down to the last two signatures. '_We love you! Happy 17th! –Steve!!'_ I love Steve. He's so nice. But it's was my sister, Serena's that meant somewhat…nothing to me. '_Remember little sister—17 ain't so sweet! With love—Serena!'_

I placed the card on my bedside table. "Yeah Serena…16 ain't so sweet, either…"

xxx

Brenda had invited me over to her house for a birthday 'surprise'…this early in the morning. That was so I could arrive before she had to leave to drop Alyssa off at Joey's house.

Ever since I met the Bennett's, they have given me a huge birthday card on my birthday, and all of them signed it. Even after Dominic and Agatha split up, they always worked together on it.

I didn't care if I was late this morning. I took my time getting ready. Actually, I still got there pretty early. I hated being fast. I entered my friend's house without knocking.

"Oh, Shelley!" Brenda called. "Finally!" She rushed down the staircase with Alyssa in her arms. "I really have to go, because Alyssa misses Joey more than I do after not seeing him for a month. Your card is up in my bedroom. Stay as long as you like. I'll be back in an hour. If not, less." Bren ran out the door. "Happy seventeenth!" Oh joy. 17.

I closed the door behind her and locked it. I slowly walked up the stairs and paused when I saw Brad's bedroom door, closed. I skipped it, silently thanking it for rubbing his disappearance in my face.

Opening Brenda's door, I noticed the giant birthday card lying on her bed. I opened it and read the reassuring words until I reached the signatures. '_Signed: The Bennett's! Agatha, D.B., Brenda __17__'_ Where was Brad's?

I shed just one tear at the absence of my friend's name and decided to…enter his room. I looked on top of his dresser, which was filled with a whole bunch of stuff I had given him over the years, the sweater he wore on our first date…and what hit me most that he didn't bring with him was the chain bearing a cross that I had given him after his grandfather passed away. There were also piles of pictures of me, or even me in a group of people stacked up in a corner of the room. So, what? He decided to leave behind anything that would remind him of me?

Admitting to myself that it was a slap in the face, I lay down on his bed, resting my head on his pillow. That's when I heard a loud crunching in my ear. As I lifted my head, I brought the pillow up with me. A large hole in the sheets was revealed.

Without thinking, I shoved my head in the hole and felt around for any objects. My hand came out with a folded up piece of paper.

The paper was folded up a thousand times and because I was panicking, it took me a while to open it. When I did, I read it out loud to myself. "Baltimore to Chicago…11:30 P.M. flight, October 2nd, 1962…17 Ruth Street…Monica McCarthy…" It took me a minute to think about it. "October 2nd…was the day he left." I cursed under my breath. Bingo.

I quickly picked up the phone and dialled Joey's phone number.

"Hello?" Joey answered.

"Put Brenda on."

"Okay, hold on…"

Brenda answered, curiously. "Um, hello?"

"It's Shelley. I think I know where Brad is. I'm gonna go and find him."

"What? Where is—?"

"Bye!" No time to waste! I hung up and dialled Sketch's phone number.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

"Oh, hey baby, how's it going?"

"Alright...hey listen! I'm gonna be gone for a few days. Can you get Tracy to take over for me?"

"Sure, where are you going?"

"Thanks, love you, bye, mwah!" I hung up. I jumped off the bed and put the paper in my breast pocket. I picked up the cross and put it around my neck. I had to go before someone stopped me.

I wasn't afraid to rip the books out of Brenda's backpack and stuff in a couple of her dresses, and necessities. She'd understand when I came back with her lost brother.

Thanks to my family being rich and famous in Baltimore, I was able to get plane tickets, a cab to come and get me, a car to bring me to Brad's newest residence all in just 5 phone calls. Thank goodness I had the money on me.

xxx

After one plane ride and two cabs, I found myself staring up the driveway of 17 Ruth Street, Chicago, Illinois. I took a deep breath and walked up the pathway. I hesitated to ring the doorbell, but I had to. I came all this way…

A gorgeous brunette girl opened the door. She was wearing a strapless, hot pink belly top and a miniskirt that was plaid and grey. She was super model thin, but only about as tall as me. Her belly button was pierced. She sized me up. "Can I help you?" The girl put her hand on her hip and flipped her hair.

"Um, hi," I greeted. "My name is Shelley Peterman. You're Monica? …McCarthy?"

"Yeah?" I already didn't like her.

"I've been looking for Brad Bennett. Do you maybe…know anything about him?"

"Yeah, he moved in here last year."

"Do you know where he is now?"

"In our basement," Monica told me as though it should've been obvious. "Why?"

"I need to see him."

"Shelley, huh? He never mentioned you. Did you actually know him personally?"

"Brad was my best friend for 15 years…then he just disappears one day."

"So…you knew him back in Baltimore. Strange that he never brought you up. Must've been through some _serious_ shit with _you_. I thought he told me everything."

She probably knew he had a sister, but if she didn't know I existed, she probably didn't know he had a niece. "Did he tell you he abandoned his pregnant sister to come and live with you?"

"Yep. He woke me up on the day before his birthday really early and told me that it was her due date." Ouch.

"Can I please just go and see Brad?" I asked, impatient.

Monica let me in and shut the door behind me. She led me to a narrow door. "He should be down there. Do I need to like, announce you're visiting or something?"

I chucked, uncomfortable. "I think it'd be a lot less awkward for all of us if you didn't. Thanks."

"No problem." Monica opened the door and walked away.

I slowly creaked down the wooden stairs and peaked into the dimly lit basement. It was huge, and messy. I could barely see Brad slouching down on a chair, painting a wooden figure.

He must've heard the door open, or the creaking. "Who was at the door, Mon?"

"I was," I told him as I reached the floor.

Brad turned around. "Ah, crap…"

"Well, it's nice to see you, too," I said, sarcastically.

"Shelley, what're you doing here?"

"I think you should be asking why I wasn't here sooner," I hooted. "Yesterday I got my first birthday card in fifteen years that didn't have your name." I put the cross in my fist. "So, this Monica girl…"

"Before you ask, yes, we are, not that it's any of your business." His answer didn't have to hurt so badly.

"She's gorgeous. You've obviously done well. She just had one flaw: She didn't know I existed."

"I didn't tell her. It wasn't any of _her_ business. And I wanted to forget you."

"Huh. So you…live together?"

"Well, yeah. We were roommates first, then we started dating. And we live with two other people, as well…again, not like it's any of your business."

I thought if I should bother asking or not. "Brad, why're you here?"

"I've always wanted to be an artist."

"Bull."

Brad grunted angrily. "Is this because you still love me? _Seriously_… Move on."

"I _have_ moved on. I have a boyfriend! And on the contrary, I HATE you, Brad! I just wanna get you back before life gets changed into an even bigger mess. Brad…Joey, Brenda and I can't even think straight anymore! Lou Ann and I.Q. have barely flirted since you've left. Tammy is going insane! Link and Jesse are lost! Everyone hates that you're putting them through this crap!"

"W-What about Mikey?" Brad wondered.

"He has _new_ friends, now," I explained. "Paulie and Vicki seem to be called 'best friends' to him, now."

"A-An-And Sketch?"

I grinned. "He's lovely."

"What's going on with him?" Brad dropped his paintbrush.

"He's getting better grades, better moves… He has a girlfriend keeping him occupied now. Her name's Shelley Peterman. I think you met her once…or did you forget about her?"

Brad froze. "You're with…Sketch?"

"Yeah, you know, he is the _perfect_ boyfriend. He always listens to me and takes my advice into account. He isn't completely oblivious to his surroundings, and he loves me help."

"Bitch," Brad breathed. "What happened to you?"

I bit my lip, failing to hide my smile. "I'm just Exhibit A."

Brad sighed. "You changed your hair. It's pretty like that."

Hm. I had to agree. It had grown longer, so Darla helped me with a new style. It was gently curled, tied loosely and loose to the left side, hanging over my shoulder. "Well, thank you, but shut up." I closed my eyes as I said, "Brad…how can you be so GODDAMN SELFISH?! You made everyone put their lives on hold just so you can be a freaking painter, which you've never once talked about in your life?!"

"No." Huh? "I wanted to paint _after_ I came. I left because of you."

I rolled my eyes, trying to hide the tears that were gathering. "Gee, thanks."

"Everyone I know tells me, 'Brad, you can do so much better than her'. I decided after Bix came to me and said, 'Man, she was the biggest mistake of your life. If you were smart, you'd leave it all behind you and forget everything.' So I finally took his advice and left."

"Why did you want to forget me?" I was officially lost.

"I didn't want people to dislike me because I was with you."

I couldn't help but feel insulted. "So people's opinions of you are more important that what you really feel…and your best friend?" He didn't answer. "Hey, you know who else was affected by your abandonment? Your niece."

"Niece? It…It was a girl? It was a girl, just like Brenda wanted?"

"Yep. Alyssa Dominique Marks. Brenda is surprisingly an amazing mother to her. But Joey scares me a little. Alyssa is very unhappy."

"W-Why?"

"She misses you. She knows who you are. You read to her, you sang to her, you talked to her… She misses hearing your voice."

"Who does she look most like?"

"She's all Bennett! Looks just like her uncle if you ask me…Uncle Brad. Make you wanna come back?" I glared at Brad when he shook his head. "Alright, well I'm gonna book into the Holiday Inn down the street, so if you change your self involved mind, call on me…if I even feel like speaking to you…"

xxx

The bed was soft, thank God. I spent three hours lying on my bed doing nothing. I was getting bored of nothing, so I decided to call down to room service. There was a knock at my door just before I dialled.

I slowly walked towards the door. I peeked through the peep hole. It was Brad. I ignored him by going back to sit on my bed. I waited for him to leave.

After about ten knocks, he called on me. "Alright, Shelley, you don't have to speak to me, or even look at me, just listen." Brad cleared his throat and started singing. I could tell this was about to be _very_ cheesy. "Once I was a selfish fool who never understood. Never looked inside myself, but on the outside, I looked good. Then we fell, and you made me the man I am today. Shelley, I'm in love with you, no matter what they say!" Yep, I was right. Cheesy. But I guess it was semi-cute. "'Cause without love, life is like the seasons with no summer. Without love, life is rock and roll without a drummer. Shelley, I'll be yours forever, 'cause I never wanna be without love! Shelley, never set me free. No I ain't lying! Never set me free, Shelley, no, no, no!" I loved this song. He picked a good one to use, I must admit. Brad paused for a while. "Shelley?" I was too freaked to respond. "Alright, well don't say I didn't try…"

"Born into my family, I was always up to good," I sang in return. "Who'd've thought I'd love a boy who'd torch a mile of forest wood? In my broken tower, lust was just a hostess snack. But now I've tasted true love, and I'm never going back! 'Cause without love, life is like a beat that you can't follow. Without love, life is Doris Day at the Apollo. Darling, I'll be yours forever, 'cause I never wanna be without love! So darling, never set me free. No! I'm yours forever! Never set me free, darling, no, no, no!" I opened the door and Brad came in, greeting me with a passionate kiss.

Brad picked me up and continued to kiss me, kicking the door closed. I chuckled. "What about your little ho?"

"Are you kidding? I left that house 4 minutes ago, I would be surprised if she wasn't sleeping with someone else by now!" We both laughed and kissed again.

Now if only _that_ could've happened before my Annual Spring Bash…

xxx

I woke up early in the morning in Brad's arms, just as I had fallen asleep. He was still deeply sleeping. Now was my time to make phone calls. I slowly manoeuvred myself out of Brad's arms and picked up the phone, including it's dock. I brought it into the bathroom and shut the door, trapping the wire. I picked up the phone itself and called Brenda.

"Tams, have you heard from her yet?" Brenda answered.

I giggled. "No, but I have."

"Oh, my God! Shelley, have you found him yet?"

"Um, yeah, I found him alright… He was rooming with some tramp."

"Is he coming back?"

"It took some convincing. I thought it was gonna take a while, so I booked a room. He came to apologize, yada, yada, yada, then I woke up and called you."

"Yada, yada, yada? Shelley? Did you and Brad…?"

"Oh, shut up, like you haven't."

"There are so many things wrong with that sentence. For one, not with BRAD. And second, not while I had a boyfriend!"

"Oh, my God…Sketch." I sighed, in an attempt to make myself seem like I didn't care. "Anyway, we're coming home A.S.A.P. I'll talk to you later."

"Oh, Shelley? Next time, warn me before you steal half of my wardrobe and my backpack? The past two days, I went to school in clothes uglier than my mom's wedding dress, all while carrying my books in a paper bag."

"Sorry," I squeaked. We both hung up.

I put the phone back where it belonged and hopped in the shower to clean my disgusting hair.

When I was finished, I put on one of Brenda's dresses and wrapped my hair in a towel. I left the bathroom with my clothes in hand, and Brad was sitting up, watching me.

I dropped my stuff. "Yes?"

He patted the bed in front of him. "Sit."

"What?"

"Okay, so we need to talk about stuff now."

"Like…"

"I'll make you a promise, if you make me one in return."

"Anything."

"Was last night because you love me, or because you wanted to bring me back?"

"It was because I love you. I can promise you that."

"Well, in that case, I promise that I will come back with you. Now one more promise: Do you promise that you aren't in love with Sketch?"

"I promise." That wasn't a lie, but it sure as hell hutr to admit.

"And I promise that I will never leave you again."

We grinned at each other. "I love you," I said.

"I missed you."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed, I know I enjoyed writing it. Chapter 15 will be out...later today? =D


	15. Gues What!

This chapter was a total space filler =D Feel free to skip XD

* * *

Part 15 – Guess What?!

"Guess what?!" I shouted, running to my dressing mirror with Brad. "Look who I got to come back!"

Everyone gasped and crowded around Brad except for Sketch. I escaped the crowd to get to him so that I could explain everything to him. "Sketch, I…"

"I know," he sighed. "I understand, Shelley."

"I'll never forget the past few months. Best months of my life."

"Yeah."

I smirked at him, guilty. "I'll still always love you."

"Did you go and find him before you didn't wanna be stuck with me?"

"Marcus… I'm going to be 103 percent honest with you. And you have to promise you won't tell anyone this, but you were the _best_ relationship I have ever been in. You were the most fun, I had a blast with your family, I easily fell in love with you, you were the best kisser, you were the best looking, the most romantic, the most cuddly, the most honest, the most real, the most confident…the second most intelligent."

"So then why leave me for him?"

I leaned in, giving Marcus a quick peck in the cheek. "Because I can't control who I'm in love with."

"So if things don't work out between you and Brad…"

I chuckled and kissed him for the last time. "No doubt in my mind that you're next in line."

"I'll always love you, Shelley."

I gave Marcus a hug. "I just want you to know that we're still gonna be friends forever. Remember that. Even if you grow to hate me."

We both chuckled and rejoined the group.

"Thank you for bringing my brother back," Brenda whispered in my ear. "You're gonna be a hero in school, and you're gonna be a god to my parents."

xxx

Brenda and I walked to my house after the show with Becky, Tammy and Lou Ann.

We all sat up in my bedroom, doing homework, talking about this year's pageant.

"I've already picked out my dress," I said. "I haven't bought it yet though, because I wasn't sure if people liked it on me. It's like, yellow, with this cute orange design on it. It's really pretty, but I don't know…"

"They're your colors, Shell, go for it!" Tammy told me. "I'm thinking orange for me this year."

"I love that!" Becky added. "Lou, are you going with yellow, or is it pink this year?" Lou Ann has alternated between pink and yellow from our first pageant.

"I'm going with blue, actually. I've already got it. It's kind of like Vicki's last year…only like, sky blue."

"I'm going green instead of blue this time. I've given up on the death color." Brenda was very blunt about this stuff.

"That'd bring out your eyes beautifully," Becky complimented. "Though I must ask, mommy, where the hell is Alyssa and why didn't you go to take care of her?"

"Joey's taking her today."

"You have to stop letting him take care of that child so often. Something is going to happen to her, and he's gonna have a heart attack, and nothing good will come of anything," I joked, actually kind of seriously. "Okay, brainiac!" I said, directing the question to Becky. "Square root of pi?"

"One-point-seven-seven-two-zero-zero-four-five-zero-five."

"I'll pretend I know what you said, as I go hunt down my sister-in-laws advanced calculator…" I stood up, but Brenda's talking stopped me.

"So Shelley… I never thought I was going to ask anyone this…ever…but…ugh, I just can't believe you slept with Brad… This'll seem really weird, but I gotta know. Was he…good?"

"Brenda!" Tammy shouted. "That's disgusting!"

"Why hadn't you ever asked me that then?" Lou Ann wondered.

"Or me?" Tammy whined.

"…or me?" Becky joked. We all looked at her, confused. "I felt left out… It's barely my fault that we've never slept together."

"So how was he, Shelley?" Brenda ignored the others.

I groaned, embarrassed. "Good."

"Ew…" Bren moaned.

I shrugged. "You asked." Anyway… "So what was it again, Beck?"

"One-point-seven-seven-two-zero-zer-four-five-zero-five," Becky repeated.

"Thank you!"

* * *

If anyone has any idea for a chapter 16, feel free to message me... I need a few ideas as to how to end the series. =D


End file.
